Judo always continues. Even during the Pandemic athletes all over the world took the opportunity to train at home, at their clubs or in the streets or forest. However the best is at the events and not just to train but to perform and win prices and makes sure you were better than the past day or event. This is what judo is all about.
Europe is getting back with national championships such as this weekend’s German Individual Championships that will take in the SCHARRena in Stuttgart. Some of the best judoka in Germany will fight for the German titles. Without the Olympic athletes though, still a good and competitive field in Stuttgart in a two days event. The women U57kg, U63kg and U70kg will fight on Saturday as well as the men U73kg, U81kg and U90kg, usually the most crowded weight classes.
Over the last 10 years Katharina Menz was the topscorer with six national titles, followed by six athletes with four German titles. Dominic Ressel, Igor Wandtke, Carolin Weiss, Theresa Stoll, Dino Pfeiffer and Luise Malzahn. Nineteen former Champions will compete in Stuttgart, including seven current champions. More statistics can be found at JudoInside and websites with Double Bubble at Sammy Bingo.
After the Olympic Games and this week’s Paralympic Games, national fighters will be battling for the honour and prizes. Germany that lost the organization of the Grand Slam of Düsseldorf. Recently the youth enjoyed the Ruhr Games though but Germany is lacking a big tournament now. Hopefully that will come following the positive team effort at the Mixed team events where the team won bronze.
The current German champions will try to hold their status such as Maximilian Heyder (-60 kg), Tim Gramkow (-81 kg), Falk Petersilka (-100 kg), Annika Würfel (-52 kg), Jana Ziegler (-57 kg) and Renée Lucht (+78 kg). Unfortunately Olympic silver medallist Eduard Trippel and Tokyo’s bronze medallist and World Champion Anna Maria Wagner will not compete in Stuttgart but there is enough to see and we don’t doubt they will be having a look how their teammates are performing in the second year of the pandemic. Spectators and fans can look forward to exciting fights and a great atmosphere on and off the stands.
In the field also a hand full of young talents under 18 years and over 100 juniors as well as a few veterans such as Soshin Katsumi, Hannes Conrad, Verena Thumm, Philipp Geimer. Thumm, Conrad, Zingg, Herrmann and Heyder are multiple German Champions in the starting grid. Pauline Starke is the only European Championships medallist and Sappho Coban and Tim Gramkow the only Junior World Championships medallists.