Croatian judokas Barbara Matic and Karla Prodan were named Women Athletes of the Year by the Croatian Olympic Committee (Prodan) and by main daily sports newspaper Sportske novosti (Matic). Croatia has chosen the best athletes of the year to close out 2020. This is the most representative choice, as it…
30 December 2020Name: Peter Paltchik Country: Israel Weight category: -100kg Points: 5407 A difficult year for most, but one athlete who has overcome it all and ended on a high is Peter PALTCHIK (ISR). The 28 year-old took gold at home in the Tel Aviv Grand Prix straight out of the gate…
30 December 2020Name: Marie Eve Gahie Country: France Weight category: -70kg Points: 6220 The 2019 IJF World Ranking saw GAHIE (FRA) as the leader of the race, and continues to this year as well. The 2019 World Champion is in a close contest with team mate Margaux PINOT who sits in the…
29 December 2020Name: Nikoloz Sherazadishvili Country: Spain Weight category: -90kg Points: 8111 Nikoloz SHERAZADISHVILI (ESP) will always hold his title of the first Spanish male judoka who took the World title in 2018, but 2020 marks the third year in a row for the young judoka at the top spot in the…
28 December 2020There will be little surprise that French superstar Clarisse AGBEGNENOU (FRA) will be leading the -63kg category in 2021, the strong and successful athlete on top form going in to her Olympic year. The five-time European Champion and four-time World Champion is on a mission to take the title in…
27 December 2020Heading the -81kg category this year is Matthias CASSE (BEL). The 2019 European Games Champion and World silver medallist stepped on to the senior circuit at the end of 2017 as the Junior World Champion and the rest is history. It is rare that we don’t see him on the…
26 December 2020Name: Amandine Buchard Country: France Weight category: -52kg Points: 7155 It comes as little surprise that Amandine BUCHARD is ranked as number one in the world once again – third year in a row in fact! – given her consistently exciting performances. 2020 has given us a quiet year in…
24 December 2020My dear Judo Family,Dear Presidents, staff members, coaches, referees, children, parents, all judo lovers! I would like to congratulate and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New year! The year 2020 was difficult but important. The Olympic Games were postponed, human activity was blocked, but since October the IJF…
24 December 2020Name: Rustam Orujov Country: Azerbaijan Weight category: -73kg Points: 6575 There are a selection of European athletes who have managed to retain their WRL #1 status, and that includes the ever impressive, Rustam ORUJOV. It may have been a quiet year for us in terms of a lack of competition…
23 December 2020Name: Distria Krasniqi Country: Kosovo Weight category: -48kg Points: 7115 Current World Champion of the -48kg category, Daria BILODID (UKR) has been knocked off her pedestal by the fierce KRASNIQI of Kosovo. The two-time IJF World Masters winner will be on the hunt for her hat-trick title in Doha next…
22 December 2020Name: Manuel Lombardo Country: Italy Weight category: -66kg Points: 5398 22 year-old Manuel Lombardo stepped on the scene and really made a splash. More than proving himself as a junior athlete, taking both the World and European Junior Championship titles in 2018 he ventured on to the senior circuit and…
21 December 2020Earlier in the year we spoke with current European Champion, Odette Giuffrida (ITA) when Italy became the first European nation to feel the full effect of the corona virus. During this period of lockdown where they were forbidden to leave their residences, it would have been impossible to predict the…
19 December 2020U23 European Judo Championships - Porec, Croatia
A challenging year has come to an end, and with it the summary of one of the biggest sporting competitions held in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. For our younger athletes, the Junior and U23 European Judo Championships 2020 were held in Poreč, Croatia. During the final…
18 December 2020EJU Ordinary Congress (Online) - Vienna, Austria
For the first time, the EJU Ordinary Congress welcomed the EJU Executive Committee, honorary members and 48 member federations on an online platform. President of the European Judo Union, Mr Sergey Soloveychik welcomed all, adding, It gives me great pleasure and honour to welcome you today at the EJU Congress.…
16 December 2020It isn’t just the men’s categories that have athletes fighting within their own nations for Olympic places as the women are faced with equally tough situations. We have seen a huge shift in the -48kg category, the French superstar Shirine BOUKLI making it clear she has what it takes to…
15 December 2020In Moscow, at the Irina Viner-Usmanova Gymnastics Palace, in the evening of December 9th, 2020, a solemn ceremony of awarding the laureates of the National Sports Prize was held. The winner in the Sports Solidarity – for Strengthening International Sports Relations – nomination was EJU President, Mr. Sergey Soloveychik. The…
14 December 2020Yesterday, around the world people were taking time out of their day or even waking up especially early to see the contest between Japan’s incredible -66kg athletes, MARUYAMA Joshiro and ABE Hifumi. This contest was the decider, showing the world who would be going to the Olympic Games in 2021.…
14 December 2020European Judo Championships - Prague, Czech Republic
The staging of the European Championships in Prague in November was a major undertaking. The Covid-19 pandemic that led to events being cancelled worldwide resulted not only in increased and unprecedented difficulties for the host nation, but also the need for high-performance athletes to spend long periods at home in…
12 December 2020