Sereana Salalo/PACNEWS 

The 28-year-old said the sport is a minority in Vanuatu.  

There is only one club which consists of about 80 athletes.  

At his second Olympic Games after Tokyo 2020, Cumbo lost to Netherlands’ Frank de Wit in the Men’s 81kg Elimination Rounds at Champs de Mars Arena.  

He said that the atmosphere at the Paris Games was what any athlete would love at any Games - to have supporters in the stands.  

“I never thought when I was young that I would get to the Olympics.

“I did Judo when I was a child and heard stories from my mates who went to London and Rio; that’s what made me want to come to the Olympics.”

Cumbo started Judo at four-years-old and started competitively at 14-years-old.  

His father was a Judo teacher and introduced the sport in Port Villa.  

“There is a lot of potential in Vanuatu because people are strong and can manage physical activities really well,” the construction engineer said.

He would like to work with the Vanuatu Judo Federation to bring talents to be trained in Noumea (New Caledonia) where he is currently based.

“I want to bring them to Noumea to train and work on high-level Judo.

“I will take back the experience of this Games and I thank those that helped me got here; my family, fiancé, friends, and my club in Noumea who helped me train everyday despite the curfew for the past few months.”