Friday morning at 10 a.m., the IJF Judo World Tour 2023 will start. The Portugal Grand Prix will start in Almada. No fewer than 544 judoka from 81 nations are on the starting list. In terms of quantity, the start of the season can even keep up with last year’s World Championships in Tashkent (UZB/571/82). Austria has 13 judoka (4 women, 9 men) – Katharina Tanzer (-48/SU Noricum Leibnitz/ST) and Stephan Hegyi (+100/SC Hakoah/W) are each number eight. From a red-white-red point of view, the draw was tough. Lubjana “Lulu” Piovesana (-63/LZ Hohenems/V), 26-year-old Austro-British, who is competing for Judo Austria for the first time in Almada (and has had an Austrian passport since January), meets Samalay Yergaliyeva (KAZ ), in the event of a win, the top seeded Anriquelis Barrios (VEN), number 3 in the world rankings, would wait. His partner Laurin Böhler (-100/LZ Hohenems/V) also faces a particularly difficult task in Almada. At the start, the 28-year-old from Vorarlberg, who has constantly struggled with injuries in recent years (3 cruciate ligament tears, a total of 9 operations), has to deal with Adnan Khankan (from the IOC refugee team). In round 2 the number 1 in the world rankings, the Georgian Ilia Sulamanidze, last Masters winner, is waiting.
There will be a generational duel in the women’s category up to 70 kg. Elena Dengg, 18, second in the European Youth Games, has to play against 40-year-old Moroccan Assma Niang, 5-time African champion.
The draw for the 13 ÖJV starters at the start of the Judo World Tour, GP of Portugal in Almada (544 judoka from 81 nations/227 women/317 men):
Friday, 1st day of competition, women, -48 kg, 1st round: Katharina Tanzer (SU Noricum Leibnitz/ST/seed as No. 8) – Amy Platten (GBR), in the quarterfinals (3rd fight) would probably be the number one seed local hero Catarina Costa waiting; Men, -60: Marcus Auer (Creativ Graz/ST) – Mohamad Rashnonezhad (IOC refugee selection), the winner meets Yam Wolczak (ISR), fifth in the World Championships; Daniel Leutgeb – Nazir Talibov (AZE);
Saturday, 2nd day of competition, -63: Magdalena Krssakova (JC Sirvan/W) – Kerem Primo (ISR), Lubjana Piovesana (LZ Hohenems/V) – Samalay Yergaliyeva (KAZ), waiting for the winner: No. 1 Anriquelis Barrios ( VEN), -70: Elena Dengg (ESV Sanjindo Bischofshofen/S) – Assma Niang (MAR); -73: Lukas Reiter (JC Wimpassing/NÖ) – Oleksandr Koshliak (UKR), Samuel Gaßner (UJZ Mühlviertel/OÖ) – Vusal Galandarzade (AZE), -81: Wachid Borchashvili (LZ Multikraft Wels/OÖ) – Bearach Gleeson (IRL );
Sunday, 3rd day of competition, -90: Adam Borchashvilli (M&R Galaxy Judo Tigers/W) – Abderahmane Diao (SEN), -100: Aaron Fara (JC Wimpassing/NÖ) – Boris Georgiev (BUL), Laurin Böhler – Adnan Khankan ( IOC refugee selection), in round 2 the world ranking leader Ilia Sulamanidze (GEO) would wait, +100: Stephan Hegyi (SC Hakoah/W) – Dzahmal Gamzatkhanov (AZE).
