How Tulika Maan bounced back from Paris nightmare

At the Paris Olympics, Tulika Maan was India’s lone entry in judo. The 26-year-old had made it to the Olympic Games through a continental quota based on her rankings.

But contrary to expectations, Tulika stumbled at the first hurdle. She was eliminated by Cuba’s Idalys Ortiz, a former two-time world champion and London Olympics gold medalist, in the +78 kg weight class.

'Paris a nightmare'

The setback impacted Tulika mentally, and the former South Asian Games champion took a while to recover from it.

“Paris was a nightmare. Things were not good. I had a fever and it took away everything from me. I had prepared so well in Valencia for the Paris Olympics,” Tulika told The Bridge ahead of the 2025 Asian Judo Championships scheduled from April 25-27 in Bangkok.

“After my fight, I didn’t eat or even step out of my room. It took a long time to recover from the setback. In my mind I knew I had to bounce back and my friends pushed me. I stayed with them for a good 2-3 months in Delhi itself. My mother also played an important role, she told me it was okay,” she added.

Tulika’s mother Amrita Maan, a Delhi Police constable, is the sole provider after her father passed away when she was only two.

“My mother played a big role in shaping my career. There was a time when she used to wake up at 4am and take me on bike for training and then school. She didn’t care if it was sunny or raining,” Tulika pointed.

Sparring with boys

Overcoming the challenge, Tulika has now set her sights on the continental medal. Her confidence comes from a recent two-week training exposure in Japan.

A total of 18 judokas - 9 men and 9 women - trained at the Tsukuba Martial Arts Centre in Japan and their training, fully sponsored by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), was administered by World champion and Olympic medalist Hirotaka Okada and two-time Olympic champion Takanori Nagase.

“We had a lot of sparring partners including plus weight judokas and even boys. They have very sharp techniques and that’s something to learn. We did 15-20 fights everyday. We learnt things we have never done, the moves, how to use body weight, body timing,” she said.

“Last time I missed the bronze by a whisker, I hope I can bring home a medal this time,” she added.

Other than learning some crisp training techniques, Tulika kept an eye out for the Dora cakes or Dorayaki, a popular Japanese sweet treat.

"I am a huge fan of bread and in Japan they make a variety of it. I am keeping a check on what I am eating before the tournament, but definitely some Dora cakes," she concluded.