26 February 2019

SEEKING PERFECTION IN PRAGUE

Preview: European Judo Open Women Prague

SEEKING PERFECTION IN PRAGUE

This weeks women’s European Open will be held in Prague, Czech Republic. The Arena Sparta will host the seven weight categories on Saturday 2nd of March. 

With a great amount of talent distributed over all of the categories, the day will provide excitement from beginning to end. In the lightest of the weight classes, we find the U23 European bronze medallist, Tamar MALCA (ISR). The -48kg athlete demonstrated her abilities earlier this year in the European Open in Sofia, MALCA’s explosive talents taking her to the final and leaving with a silver medal. At only 18 years-old, this young woman is definitely one to watch. 

Great Britain will be represented by two 2018 European bronze medallists, Lucy RENSHALL (-63kg) and Gemma HOWELL (-70kg) in a bid to bring home a gold medal, their fellow female team members picking up multiple medals in Sofia. 

Mariam TCHANTURIA (GEO) is among the youngest of the competitors.

To match HOWELL’s Senior European bronze, another young athlete will be in the mix, 18 year-old Mariam TCHANTURIA (GEO), who took the Junior European bronze in 2018 as well as a bronze at home in the Tbilisi Grand Prix. It will be interesting to see how the young athlete will fare against athletes such as HOWELL, who is ten years her senior with an abundance of experience. 

In the -78kg, Sama Hawa CAMARA of France comes in as the #2 seed following a successful 2018. CAMARA took multiple Grand Prix medals last year including a bronze in Hohhot and a silver in The Hague. The gold medal was snatched in The Hague by Antonina SHMELEVA (RUS) who saw out the current World Champion of the -78kg category in round one of the Dusseldorf Grand Slam on Sunday. Perhaps this will be the Frenchwoman’s opportunity to take home the gold medal and number one place. 

Follow the live stream on Saturday 2nd March on www.eju.net.

By Thea Cowen

Judoka