Daria Bilodid recently shared how she successfully juggles her judo career with playing professional soccer for women's team "Metallist-1925". The Ukrainian athlete has already made her professional soccer debut while maintaining her judo training regimen.
"I'm just training and staying in shape. Right now I have time to play football too. I'm trying to combine both because there's still plenty of time before major competitions, so for now I can balance everything," Bilodid explained.
Bilodid revealed she hasn't competed in judo since the Olympic Games, focusing only on events that truly motivate her. She specifically mentioned that world championships and Olympic Games are the competitions that drive her athletic career.
Interestingly, she and her team skipped this year's World Championship due to their political stance. With only off-season tournaments currently available and no major competitions on the immediate horizon, the judoka enjoys what she describes as a "lighter training schedule".
When asked about her plans for the next Olympic Games, Bilodid remained cautiously optimistic but noncommittal.
"We'll see, that's still three years away. We'll see. In principle, yes," she stated.
The multi-talented athlete has been making waves in Ukrainian sports circles. By the way, it was previously reported that Bilodid shared an epic photo with Shevchenko and Usyk – connecting her to other Ukrainian sports legends. Will her dual-sport career path inspire other athletes to explore different competitive avenues? That remains to be seen.
