The last meeting on the World Tour before the European Championships at the end of April in Zagreb and the third last before the World Cup in May in Abu Dhabi attracts a number of stars to the tatamis of Antalya at Easter – in the Turkish holiday metropolis on the Mediterranean from Friday to Easter Sunday 628 judoka from 93 countries are fighting for important points for Olympic qualification. Among them – and this is a rarity – Japan’s “Gold Sisters” Uta AND Hifumi Abe as well as France’s superstar Teddy Riner. Of the 16 ÖJV judoka, five come from Viennese clubs. It won’t be a vacation on the beach, but rather hard work on the mats…
With the two Abe’s and Riner, the star line-up in Turkey is far from complete. Some more come from Japan Takanori Nagase (up to 81 kg) or Natsumi Tsunoda (up to 48 kg), the two world number one from Canada Christa Deguchi (up to 57 kg) and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (up to 63 kg), the Swiss world champion Nils Stump (up to 73 kg), Finland’s (first) European heavyweight champion, Martti Puumalainenthe strong Germans Alina Böhm and Anna-Maria Wagner (both up to 78 kg) and, and, and. So world class is guaranteed on these days in the holiday paradise!
Austria’s team is the Olympic runner-up Michaela Polleres (JC Wimpassing / up to 70 kilos) or from the one who was last on the podium four times Laurin Böhler (ULZ Hohenems / up to 100 kilos). The five Viennese judoka weighed up to 48 kilos on Friday Jacqueline Springer (Vienna Samurai), which on Sabina Giliazowa (AIN) will meet, and Laura Callinger (Judoring Vienna / up to 57 kg) is next. Laura has to go to the mat against world number 1, Deguchi. There are still on Saturday Magda Krssakova (JC Sirvan / up to 63 kg – against Florentina Ivanescu / RUM) and Bernd Fasching (M&R Galaxy Judo Tigers / up to 81 kg). The fifth place in the Under-23 European Championships will meet the Egyptian at the start Abdelrahman Mohamed. Finally on Sunday it gets it Movli Borchashvilli (Galaxy) in the heavyweight division with the Uzbek Shokhrukhkhon Bakhtiyorov to do. Sounds dangerous…
As always, the preliminary rounds and then the final block can be seen on “JudoTV” (see picture – @IJF). But be careful: Due to the time difference with Turkey, everything starts an hour earlier than usual. The preliminary rounds begin on Friday and Saturday at 8:30 a.m. CET and on Sunday (again, attention, start of daylight saving time, night is an hour shorter!) at 9 a.m. CET. The final blocks start – according to our time – at 4 p.m. on all three days (not, as usual, at 5 p.m.)! ORF Sport+ will broadcast the final block LIVE on Friday.