On the last day of the Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam 2024 four of the five finals had European interest. Yet, the one stood out the most was seeing Eduard Trippel in the final of the -90kg category.
The German judoka last seen in a final of a grand slam back in 2022 in Tokyo. Since, the Olympic silver medallist have had a rocky road, unable to reach the final block at any event he had gone to. In Astana, the route seemed to have smooth out as he confidently won all his four contest to reach to the final. To get to this point was simply vital to retain hopes around Paris 2024.
The last hurdle to gain 1000 Olympic qualifying points was against Yahor Varapayeu (AIN) where with little less than a minute to go, Trippel got first tripped over by a side take down before falling over via a ko-soto-gake. Regardless, it is truly a silver success for the 27-year-old judoka and a positive push towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as prior to arriving to Kazakhstan, he was remotely away from qualifying. As of Monday, he can perhaps begin with his week obtaining a continental quota and with a good final push at the worlds Trippel could race himself into the direct qualification zone.
The Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam 2024 was the final Olympic qualifying grand slam for the Paris Games. There are only a handful of events lefts to collect points from. Not long to go and the heat is turned up each week, names are moving up and dropping down on the qualification list. It is intense to say the least and in a matter of weeks it will all be over.
Image: International Judo Federation
Author: Szandra Szogedi