Still among the juniors, Berruyère Sarah Bothy competed against the elite of her discipline, in the under 52 kilo category, on Saturday in Chalon-sur-Saône. Eliminated in the third round, she may have some regrets.
Not being seeded, Sarah Bothy was dependent on the draw made on Friday evening. But she didn’t focus on that, preferring to discover her program that morning. For the first round, it was quickly resolved, since she didn’t have to fight. For her entry into the competition, the Bourges Judo fighter had to face a young judokate, Mel le Cam, French cadet champion.
The two young women had never met in competition before. At the end of a rather well-controlled fight, Sarah Bothy took the measure of her opponent on the ground and won by ippon. It got complicated in the next round for Berruyère against Léonie Gonzalez, 23, top seed and vice-champion of France 2023. However, Sarah Bothy had no complexes, scoring the first a waza-ari. An advantage that she couldn’t manage. Penalized three times, she then had to bow to the member of AC Boulogne-Billancourt.
The weight of experience
“Sarah may have regrets, because she managed to bring down her opponent,” recalled her trainer Kévin Égré. In principle, Léonie Gonzalez was a little above but, in the other categories, we saw that there were plenty of surprises at these French championships. There is a taste of unfinished business. With a little more experience, Sarah has the level to beat this type of girl. »
Not having been drafted, Berruyère had to resolve to leave the competition at the end of this somewhat frustrating journey. Even if – she learned it later – Léonie Gonzalez was eliminated in the next round by Julie Weill known as Morey, the future champion of France.
By the end of the year, Sarah Bothy should participate in the super excellence tournament in Aix-en-Provence in mid-December. Perhaps also to that of Poitiers. But first, she still has to play two Pro League matches, the professional championship for mixed teams, under the colors of Montpellier.
Already present last year on the podium of the French junior championships, she will still have a strong card to play in 2025, with the experience she continues to gain in the main senior tournaments, but also on the European circuit. juniors.
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