 Nyorai kuenderera mberi kweiyi ndima - Pasinei nemakore anenge maviri ekusaita mumakwikwi, akasarudzwa ku1999 European Judo ChampionshipsmuBratislava. Akanga ane kuita kwakaderera ipapo, achitora nzvimbo yechinomwe bedzi, achirega vakwikwidzi vake vakuru vachiwana pokugara. Kunyange zvakadaro, muFrench wacho akatanga gadziriro yake nokuda kwenyaya yechipiri yeOlympic paSydney 2000 Summer Olympics. Nhanho huru yokugadzirira uku kwaiva kupinda muWorld Judo Championships muna 1999 muBirmingham. Zvisinei, David Douillet akaodzwa mwoyo zvikuru, achimanikidzirwa kurega mazuva maviri pamberi pokutanga kwemakwikwi nemhaka yechinetso chemajoini. Mwedzi yakatevera yakatambudzwa nezvinetso zvomuviri zvitsva nomusana wake. Kunyange zvazvo iyi yakanga isiri nzira yakanakisisa yokugadzirira kudzoka kwake, mwedzi mumwe nehafu pamberi pechiitiko cheOlympic iye akapinda mumakwikwi muBonn, uko akarohwa muhafu yekupedzisira neGermany Frank Möller ndokutora nzvimbo yechitatu. Uyu waiva mutambo muduku asi unokosha mumugwagwa wake kudzokera kumusoro-soro, kudzoka kunofungidzirwa kunokurudzira nemudzidzisi wake Marc Alexandre, uyo asina kuvanza zvachose kunetseka kwake, zvisinei, nekuda kwekunonoka mukugadzirira kwake kunokonzerwa nekukuvara kwaDavid. 