German judoka Alina Böhm quickly rose through the ranks after winning back-to-back European Championships in the women’s 78 kg division in 2022 and 2023. She recorded her most recent win on June 19, 2026, getting the bronze at the IJF event at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam.

On July 9, she shared an update on Instagram where she took a much-needed break from Judo.

Captioned “No Judo Week 🤝🏼🦸🏻‍♀️ Needed this ❤️💙,” the post shared the light-hearted, fun moments that athletes engage in during their time off.

In the Instagram video, she can be seen engaging in an air bike workout, a full-body cardio machine designed to work both the upper and lower body. She took a relaxing time off with her team, going on walks and generally enjoying her time off.

Looking ahead, she could be expected to compete during October at the 2026 World Judo Championships being held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Managing busy training days and a social life can be challenging for the elite judoka. However, the 23-year-old has learned over time how to better manage her demanding schedule and make time for her friends and family.

How Alina Böhm balances elite training with a life beyond the mat

Böhm has often vocalized the pressures of balancing elite judo with a personal life. Furthermore, she revealed how she had ignored her body’s signals early on during her training and ended up injuring herself.

"Because I didn't listen to my body, I tore my ACL in 2017 and couldn't train properly for a whole year,” she revealed in an interview with SportSirene in 2022.  "Now I know when to stop, after tearing my ACL a second time,” she said, as per the original text translated from German.

She also shared the difficulties of maintaining a social life or personal life with her demanding schedule.

Böhm follows an extremely strict training and nutrition plan, often leaving little room for anything else. With such a busy schedule, having time for friends and family can be nearly impossible.

"Unfortunately, I've often experienced that people don't understand my lifestyle. I think that for many, a competitive athlete isn't an option as a girlfriend."

Even so, she has made it a point to make more of an effort to make time for socializing.  

"You have to coordinate with the coaches, and then it all works out,” she said.

According to Böhm, managing a social life and a demanding career can be tough, but not impossible. Careful time management and open communication are key to her success both on and off the mat.

Do you think you can manage to have a social life with so much going on?

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi