Day one of many Tallinn European Open 2024 confirmed promise for the younger hopefuls of Estonia Judo.
The house crowd had cause to rejoice within the semi closing with Emma-Melis AKTAS (EST). Solely final week Aktas competed within the Cadet European Championships and within the +78kg semi closing, took on the present Junior European Champion, Paulien SWEERS (NED). It was Aktas to place the primary rating on the board, throwing with o uchi gari, matched by one other o uchi gari from Sweers with a minute left on the clock. After 4 and a half minutes of gruelling golden rating, Aktas sealed the deal for Estonia Judo with an enormous ashi guruma, placing her within the closing. There, she is going to meet Ruslana BULAVINA (UKR) who defeated Erica SIMONETTI (ITA). The Italian athlete merely couldn’t sustain with the onslaught of assaults and as an alternative ceded three shidos.
Within the -60kg class, Maximilian HEYDER (GER) took on Hubert PIECZYNSKI (POL) which was nice leisure from two dynamic judo, an preliminary sumi gaeshi kind Heyder put him within the lead, however shortly after was matched. Regardless of the even rating, Heyder caught to his plan and was capable of rating with sumi gaeshi for a second time to take his place within the closing. There he’ll meet Bart WELING (NED) who succeeded over Olivier NAERT (BEL) with an attention-grabbing kata guruma. Will probably be the third time Weling and Heyder have met in competitors this yr, and with a 1:1 document, there’s all to play for.
Germany have been assured a spot within the -63kg closing as Hanna SEDLMAIR (GER) and Viktoria FOLGER (GER) went face to face within the first semi closing. It was a troublesome one for the ladies, however in the long run, Sedlmair was the winner based mostly on the buildup of shidos for Folger. Sedlmair will now meet Kamile NALBAT (NED) within the closing. Nalbat baited Carlotta AVANZATO (ITA) of their semi closing, ready for the right second, and executed a waza ari-scoring ura nage to clinch her win.
Georgios BALARJISHVILI (CYP) and Jusuf NURKOVIC (MNE) had a particularly arduous decider for the -66kg closing, stepping into to golden rating. Balajishvili put himself in at an obstacle by choosing up two shidos, forcing him in to a determined assault, after which Nurkovic countered a drop seoi nage. It was a terrific efficiency from Nurkovic immediately, who will probably be setting sights on the Senior European Championships subsequent yr in Montenegro, however there’s nonetheless yet another problem forward. Romaric Wend-Yam BOUDA (FRA) executed some beautiful approach immediately, and in his semi closing in opposition to Vadym CHERNOV (UKR) he was attacked with de ashi barai, however Chernov was met with the stone wall of Bouda, who used his opponents momentum to throw him.
Naturally there have been nice expectations for the highest seed within the -70kg class, Miriam BUTKEREIT (GER). The final time we noticed the WRL #8 was within the European Championships in April, although she gained her quarter closing spherical, she was unable to step on the tatami for her subsequent contests. After a brief stint in Benidorm this week for the OTC, she appears snug in competitors and in her preparation for the Olympic Video games. Butkereit gained her semi closing immediately in opposition to Gabrielle BARBAUD (FRA), sealing the ultimate place after an ashi waza clinch. It’ll be an all-German closing on this class, in opposition to Bertille MURPHY, who gained in opposition to Ludovica FRANZOSI (ITA) in her facet of the draw after securing the osae komi.
The German theme continued in to the -73kg class, with an all-German semi closing between Jano RUEBO (GER) Lennard SLAMBERGER (GER) it was arduous fought, however once more within the nationwide rivalry, it was a shido conclusion with Ruebo taking the place within the closing. Chusniddin KARIMOV (CZE) had been explosive all through the preliminaries and he wasn’t about to surrender his place within the closing. Niels THIJSSEN (NED) put up an incredible combat, however succumbed to an enormous o soto gari assault from Karimov that earned him a contest-winning waza ari.
Not solely have Germany secured some closing spots, however whatever the closing consequence within the -78kg class, we will probably be listening to the German nationwide anthem. First up, Migle Julija DUDENAITE (LTU) suffered defeat by the hands of Julie HOELTERHOFF (GER), after solely 35 seconds, Hoelterhoff managed to take the win with a swap, wanting as if throwing ahead, she modified course to attain ippon with o uchi gari. On the opposite half of the draw, it didn’t go so swiftly for Mathilde Sophie NIEMEYER (GER), nonetheless she persevered in opposition to Paulina DZIOPA (POL) and caught her with a shocking de ashi barai.
Judoka
Writer: Thea Cowen
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