First day of the 2024 French championships. A three-point assessment.
Expected winners
This is the first and most striking lesson of this Saturday. Among the eight winners of the day only one can be considered a sensation (see below). The rest ? Leaders in their category. Except perhaps in -57kg where the density is very interesting, many of the finalists went through the day with indisputable authority. Above. Too strong. It’s as we want.
A first example? Alyssia Poulange (SO2J Saint Ouen) and Alicia Marques (JC Orthez) in -52kg.
Two first year juniors who leave the competition far behind: finalists last year among the cadets already in this category, finalists also in Aix-en-Provence in December for the biggest French tournament, they met again for the national title this afternoon. Two young women, junior European medalists (Poulange in gold, Marques in bronze) who outrageously dominate the -52kg, like Faiza Mokdar and Lou-Ann Masson a few years ago (two national finals, two finals of the French tournament in Cannes in two years) already in -52kg.
If it was Poulange who dominated this duel – victory in 2023 among the cadets and in Aix -, Marques proved the adage false with a success on a golden score counter while there were two shidos everywhere. Two judokas of a very good caliber, with excellent technical bases. Note that Poulange, selected for the Austrian Grand Prix next week, had made the decision to participate in these French championships, although she had been given the option not to do so. A choice to his credit.
The other four examples?
In -48kg, in the absence of Pauline Cuq (Dojos de l’Agglomération du Niortais 79), selected for Linz in six days, it is Pamédie Katendi Nzuzi (FLAM 91), seeded n°1 this Saturday, medalist of silver at the French Junior European Cup in 2023, which offers the Essonne club coached by Kilian Le Blouch and Louis Masy its second title today after that of Quentin Marteau in -55kg.
In -57kg, with a final between Alya De Carvalho (AS Chelles Judo) and Maylis Rozan (RC Champigny). The first was a starter at the 2023 European and World Junior Championships in this category which she had just joined. The second was in bronze last year here, as in Aix-en-Provence a few months ago and as in Herstal (Belgium), at the end of January, where she fought for bronze…De Carvalho. A final won by the Chelloise on a sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi after an extremely rhythmic duel.
In -66kg, we witnessed the reunion between Alexis Renard (PSG Judo) and Kylian Noël (Racing Club de France), the two leaders in this category among cadets two years ago. Renard finished in silver in 2023 and third in Aix while Kylian Noël started the European and World Junior Championships last year. This Saturday Christmas proved to be the most consistent, gaining strength throughout the day, applying more and more precisely the instructions given by Alain Schmitt, his club coach. Very varied technically and in kumikata, the Racingman was in our opinion the strong man of this first day of the French junior championships with a new level, well mastered and relevant patterns, absorbed very quickly and in a relevant manner as Alain indicated to us Schmitt at the time of the podiums.
A sankaku-jime now well mastered, very rhythmic, precise, Noël produces a very clean copy, in line with his performance at the European Championships in The Hague. In the final, he dominated Renard in penalties. However, the PSG judoka left a very strong impression on the qualifiers with sode-tsuri-komi-goshi as beautiful as they were effective, rightly praised by the large crowd.
Finally, in -73kg, Peter Jean (JC Chilly Mazarin Morangis), in bronze last year, defeated Eliot Prève (Alliance Grésivaudan Judo), reigning French champion and seventh at the world championships at the beginning of October, without fighting. Preve had indeed hurt himself in the semi-final: muscular pain in his right shoulder prevented him from defending his title until the end.
Intense finals
The second lesson from this Saturday is the quality of the finals on offer. The duels Poulange/Marques (-52kg), Ray/Guillard (-60kg), Renard/Noël (-66kg), De Carvalho/Rozan (-57kg) were each in their own way very beautiful fights due to their intensity, their quality tactics, their indecision. We could even add to this the dantesque semi-final between Alya De Carvalho and Lola Berthet (Stade Bordelais Judo). A last-second comeback from De Carvalho on a harai makikomi took this fight into another dimension.
The Anatole Guillard surprise
No doubt that the judoka from the Dojos de l’Agglomération du Niortais 79 will remember this March 2, 2024. Today, the resident of the France pole in Bordeaux beats Yahn Motoly-Bomgabé (2022 cadet world champion), Zacharie Dijol ( 2022 cadet world champion and 2023 French junior vice champion) and Kelvin Ray (2022 vice world champion, 2023 French champion) on the same day. If seeing Guillard so far down the table was not surprising – the boy still won the Clermont-Ferrand and Poitiers tournaments and finished second in Aix-en-Provence – to think that he could beat Kelvin Ray , undefeated nationally in his age category since the end of 2021 and the Harnes cadet tournament, was a more daring bet!
And yet, this is what the judoka from Deux-Sèvres achieved, beating the judoka from PSG Judo in penalties. More desire? Maybe, probably even. A modjo pumped up after a day where nothing could resist him in a fiery atmosphere!
Another surprise, undoubtedly even bigger, with the victory of Mathilde Aurel (Judo Lons 64) in -44kg. A fighter who is only a second year cadet and who was weighed last night at 38.9 kg!
French champion in -40kg last year, this judoka from the Poitiers hopefuls pole participated for the first time in a junior competition… which she won by beating Doussou Diabaté, a taller, older fighter with a truly beautiful posture. A kata-guruma will make the difference in favor of Aurel who dominates this year in -40kg in his age category (victory at the Super Excellence in Dijon and silver medal at the European Cup in Spain recently). An astonishing judoka to say the least!
This evening FLAM 91 takes the lead with two titles, ahead of DAN 79 (one gold medal, one bronze).
Special mention in the form of hats off to the Alliance Grésivaudan Judo (Isère) of Nicolas Chansseaume, Olivier Cano and Cédric Revol (on the chair for Eliot Prève this Saturday) which collected four medals this Saturday: one silver and three bronze . Add to this two fifth places and you have the superb accomplishment of quality and regular training work.
2024-03-03 04:12:41
#juniors #Confirmations #nice #surprise
