While European Judo eyes were on various locations on the continent, for junior cups or new tours including adapted judo and the judo hopes cup, our Olympic athletes were competing further afield, either to claim some qualifying points or trying to better their seeding positions.
Marrakech was a hive of activity this week, with a great portion of the French team entered. Topping that list was Teddy RINER, the +100kg gold medal hope for Paris 2024. One can only imagine he is trying to alter his top eight positioning for the Games, previously sitting with 5000 points, he had claimed a seeded place, but there appears to be a tactical game afoot, and now has 5100 world ranking points.
It would also appear Marcus NYMAN (SWE) has not given up his Paris Olympic dream, though he is out of automatic qualification, perhaps there are hopes for the continental quota, at the moment he sits among a sea of CQ athletes in the world ranking list. Mihail LATISEV (MDA) is fortunate in this respect as his name is currently highlighted blue for the CQ, but he topped the podium in the -81kg category, not wanting to lose out in the final stages. Though Ashley MCKENZIE now represents Jamaica, the former Great Britain athlete had a new energy whilst on the tatami in recent tournaments and is determined to find the CQ position in the -60kg, a gold medal in Marrakech was one step closer to that goal.
Coming up this weekend we have the Madrid European Open on the 8th and 9th of June, and according to the entry, we will see the French powerhouse Riner on the tatami again! Toward the end of the month, the Lima Panamerican Open will also be hosting some European talent, in the -57kg category, defending Olympic Champion Nora GJAKOVA (KOS) will make an appearance, and Telma MONTEIRO (POR) is still hoping to go out on a high with results in Lima as well as the Abidjan African Open, also 8th and 9th of June.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen