[6] However, he suffered a broken arm early into his return to judo and then competed at a low level for the following three years.

[4] Houinato attended school in Montpellier, studying journalism, and received a bachelor's degree in information and communication.

[9] However, due to the limited resources of Beninese athletic associations, Houinato mostly paid by himself to travel to tournaments, train, and get equipment.

[10][11][12] As the Olympics approached, Houinato created a weekly radio show, "La Prépa", where he described his attempts to qualify.

[5][13] He told France 24 of his experience with journalism and judo: "It's a taste [of] hell because I don't sleep.

"[5] Le Monde noted in April 2024: For over a year, Houinato has been juggling work, training and tournaments without a coach to help him, dealing with injuries and struggling to find money – all on his own.