For Travis Stevens Life After The Olympics Is Far From ‘Normal’
Aug 29, 2017
One year on from his Olympic silver medal in Rio, a lot has changed for Travis Stevens.
The judo and jiu-jitsu black belt returned from Brazil as one of only four American men to have ever claimed an Olympic silver medal in judo (the other three being Robert Berland in 1984, Kevin Asano in 1988, and Jason Morris in 1992).
After years of training, competing, and suffering some horrific injuries, Stevens has changed direction -- and that means less time on the mat or in the weight room.
“I don’t even train anymore," he said. "I probably break a sweat once every two weeks, most of it is teaching, running my school, helping the judo guys getting ready for Worlds. I don’t know if I’ve made it through an entire workout since the Games -- or lifted a weight, really.” 
Photo: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Don’t be fooled into thinking Stevens has taken his foot off the gas. His punishing schedule is a perfect example of the Olympian’s incredible drive — he just switched his focus from his own pursuit of an Olympic medal to other areas of his life.
“I don’t have a normal day-to-day routine," Stevens said. "I probably work 18 hours a day. I’m a hyper-focused individual. I do six of hours of judo, six hours of BJJ. Twice a week I’m in the gym with the team making sure they do what they need to do. And then I have my full-time employment with Fuji. I’ve got the marketing I need to do for my school, the marketing for Fuji, the classes I need to take. It all gets done, around the clock.”
Stevens is now working with the national judo team in Boston alongside coaching his students in both judo and jiu-jitsu at his own gym in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Stevens is not employed by USA Judo to act as a coach, meaning it’s something he does for free.
This phase in Stevens’ career is about building his businesses so he can take care of his family, but fans will be pleased to know that Stevens is completely open to offers of superfights, on one condition: He doesn’t step on a scale.
It can be gi, no-gi, it can be any rule set: slams, sub only, points, it doesn’t matter. Just no weight. When it comes to a superfight, it’s the names that matter, not the weight class. Ten pounds this way, 5lb this way, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just show up, be healthy, and fight.
