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Poland’s Angelika SZYMANSKA has been a transformative character on the IJF World Judo Tour in the last cycle and is now an established front runner in the -63kg category. Before she embarked back on the grand tour, she took the opportunity to use the Warsaw European Open as a warm up event. It was an eventual gold for the home representative and leader of the category, which was somewhat expected given her status in the tournament, though this only contributed further to the pressure.
The pressure was much higher, because you know with a home crowd, you want to win it for them, and finding a way when you have these feelings is tough, but I was so happy I was able to do it on the day.
It feels good when you get it right and I had fun, but those opening contests felt so hard, I really felt stressed, I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I tried to treat it like any competition after this, I’m here to do a job and I just got through it. The level of athletes is a little different, but you know they’re still strong. I needed to stay focussed, but the first was really the most difficult, I was so scared not to make a mistake.
It was in 2020 when Szymanska last competed in the Warsaw European Open where she claimed her gold medal, and the contrast of who she was then, and the athlete she has become today is almost night and day. With so much more experience and success under her belt, it has been a huge change,
Now I am a completely different athlete, the last time I won in Warsaw I was just coming out of juniors, no one had any expectations from me, about my competition, but now, you can see things have really changed.
The ne waza queen really demonstrated her top skills for her home crowd and managed to get the practice in on the tatami, though her sights are now set on the grand Georgian stage in Tbilisi. For two consecutive years, Szymanska has fought her way to a place on the podium, in 2023 she delivered the bronze, in 2024, the silver, and so now it only seems appropriate that she complete the collection and come away with the title in Georgia.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen