Covid Keeps
The final in the ‘Covid Keeps’ series looks at 2001 World Champion and 2004 Olympic finalist, Vitaly Makarov and his world title winning uchi mata technique. At what age did you start judo and where? I started to practise judo at the age of 10 in a port city named…
1 June 2021World Championship Seniors - Budapest, Hungary
There are some events that bring out the best in athletes. They manage to get the timing right and perform at the very peak of their abilities. But of the top eight seeds in the -73kg category only one athlete can boast a world championship medal, and that is the…
31 May 2021World Championship Seniors - Budapest, Hungary
The -66kg category sees the top three seeds battling similar demons. For world number one, Manuel LOMBARDO (ITA), it is trying to escape the larger than life persona spread by 2016 Olympic champion Fabio BASILE (ITA). Lombardo however will have been bolstered by his defeat of world number two Vazha…
30 May 2021World Championship Seniors - Budapest, Hungary
Current world champion Lukhumi CHKHVIMIANI (GEO) is set to defend his -60kg category world title on the opening day. Like several other athletes, Budapest marks the last opportunity to collect points to secure a place as one of the top eight seeds at the Tokyo Olympics. This aspect of the…
29 May 2021This week on the 29th of May, we will see the first online seminar event organised by the Kata Commission. It will in fact be the first of five seminars with the following session on the 12th of June with Katame-no-Kata. Nage-no-Kata will initiate the series and this seminar oriented…
27 May 2021Covid Keeps
This week we introduce Carmen Solana in our Covid Keeps series who will take you through a series of lockdown drills. So let’s get to know Carmen. What is your judo background? I grew up in Santoña, a fisherman village in the north of Spain. I started practising judo when…
25 May 2021Women in Judo
Before 2021, hearing the name Yvonne Bönisch, you’d instantly think Olympic Champion. Now, we think Olympic Champion and the first female national coach in Europe for the pioneering Austrian team. With both athlete and coaching credentials to boast, it is no surprise that the Austrian side were ecstatic to welcome…
24 May 2021European Championships senior Lisbon - Lisbon, Portugal
Following the original blueprint of the IJF protocol, the measures taken during recent events including the senior European Judo Championships in Lisbon and the Zagreb European Open have proven that it works. Carrying out 1600 PCR tests in Lisbon, only one test came back positive in the EJU team (before…
22 May 2021Covid Keeps
This week we are introducing Tatsuto Shima, who spent time coaching in Hungary and was club director of MVSC (2014-2017) as well as putting his talents to use while contributing to the coaching staff of Hungary’s youth team. Tatsuto also competed and in 2018 placed 7th in the Kodokan Cup. …
18 May 2021Kari Neuvonen started judo in 1969 in his hometown Joensuu, Finland. He competed on a national level at juniors and seniors winning three medals at Finnish Championships. In 1976, he received his 1 dan and in 1977 began his national refereeing career. After the military service and studies, he moved…
13 May 2021Covid Keeps
The world pandemic has seen a change in training, how and where we can continue to train. For many, there isn’t always equipment available but coaches have found new and innovative ways to keep in contact with their students and allow for the continuation of movement. The second edition of…
11 May 2021Women in Judo
The French certainly have a trend, some of the most successful athletes transition in to a position to produce more successful athletes, passing on their wisdom. This is certainly the case for Olympic and World Champion, Séverine Vandenhende. Séverine started judo at the age of eight in a judo club…
9 May 2021Grand Slam - Kazan, Russia
In the -100kg category making his first appearance in a Grand Slam final was Simeon CATHARINA (NED) who on his way to the final had defeated number one seed Peter PALTCHIK (ISR). The Dutchman was up against home favourite Arman ADAMIAN (RUS) who was looking to bounce back from an…
7 May 2021There is finally light at the end of a long tunnel for our cadet and junior athletes with the plan in place to restart European Cups for cadets, juniors and seniors. As we are still enduring the pandemic, events will still require the full application of the IJF Covid protocol…
7 May 2021Grand Slam - Kazan, Russia
Russia’s hopes in the -73kg category could reasonably have been expected to rest with Denis IARTCEV (RUS). But Iartcev bowed out early and as the top seeds tumbled, we were eventually left with what must surely rate as the most surprising of Grand Slam finals ever when Ayub KHAZAHLIEV (RUS)…
6 May 2021Grand Slam - Kazan, Russia
Current world champion Lukhumi CHKHVIMIANI (GEO) showed just why he wears the red backpatch when in an epic final In the -60kg category he defeated home favourite and number one seed Robert MSHVIDOBADZE (RUS). Chkhvimiani was able to overturn a 0-4 record against Mshvidobadze after the pair battled for over…
5 May 2021The Junior European Championships 2021 will be hosted in the D’ Coque National Sports Center in the city of Luxembourg, a modern sports hall with modern infrastructure and excellent conditions. Following the initiation and continuation of the worldwide pandemic, the President of the Luxembourg Judo Federation (FLAM), Mr Serge Schaul,…
5 May 2021Grand Slam - Kazan, Russia
Kazan is a tale of two cities. As a result of its far inland position, summers can be extremely warm for its latitude and winters can be bitterly cold compared to areas further west in Europe. But over the coming days it won’t be the temperature but the results of…
4 May 2021
World Championship Seniors