After the Freinsheim judoka Elke and Ulrich Bröckel took third place at the European Championships in Podcetrtek in Slovenia last year and thus achieved the best result of their successful judo career, it was not enough to make it onto the podium this year.
At the European Judo Kata Championships held from June 10 to 11 in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Bröckel couple had to deal with very strong competition. A total of 20 couples were divided into two groups in the preliminary round. The three best scorers in each group went into the final round to determine the medal places among themselves. “We were unlucky with the draw and ended up in a top-class group,” reports Elke Bröckel. In addition to a Romanian couple who became world champions in 2022 and third in the 2023 World Championships, the judoka from the Dürkheim Judo Association also had to compete with Italian and French World and European Championship finalists. Due to the division into two age groups being abolished for the first time and the participation of younger couples aged 23 and over, the chances of reaching the final were further reduced.
Give in and evade
The Bröckels are completely dedicated to the Ju-no-Kata and have numerous national and international trophies in their display case. The Ju-no-Kata, which is always performed by a pair, is about the precise execution of defined movement forms and techniques that require a high degree of body tension and mobility. No one is lifted or thrown. The techniques to be assessed by the judges include the martial art of judo, i.e. attack and defense. “Ju” is always used, which means giving in, dodging and continuing the opponent’s movement in order to ultimately maintain control and execute a finishing technique, although without throwing onto the mat, an armbar, a choke or lifting. Harmony and perfection are the main focus in the actions and reactions to an attack. In competition, it is important that the attacks are carried out seriously. Action and reaction must be clearly shown. In such performances, a good assessment by the judges is always important in the end.
Sixth place
In Sarajevo, the Freinsheim team did not make it to the finals with a sixth place and 380.5 points in the preliminary round. Wolfgang Dax-Romswinkel and Ursula Loosen won the final with 418 points. Silver went to the Italians Giovanni and Angelica Tarabelli with a score of 409.5 points. The Romanians Alina Zaharia and Simona Alina Cheru took third place with the same number of points.
Despite missing out on a medal, there was also good news for Elke and Ulrich Bröckel: They were nominated by the German Judo Federation for the World Championships on November 9th and 10th in Las Vegas in the USA. “That was great news, of course, and we are really looking forward to the trip overseas,” says Elke Bröckel. She had been to the States once before as a young girl and later with her husband. But Las Vegas was not yet on her agenda, adds Bröckel. Now it’s time to prepare for the big task in the coming weeks and months. This includes an international tournament in Madrid, Spain, in September.
2024-06-23 13:42:27
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