At the prestigious Judo Cadet European Cup in <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/dhb-team-at-handball-em-better-not-hungarys-special-corona-path/" title="DHB team at handball EM: Better not Hungary's special corona path”>Győr, Hungary, from. 9.11. – November 10th, 2024, 563 young judokas from 27 nations competed this weekend to compete in intense fights. Among the participants were 5 Tyrolean athletes who traveled to Hungary together with the Judo State Association. The event offered all judokas an excellent opportunity to assert themselves on the international stage and gain valuable competition experience. The tournament is followed by a training camp for the athletes, which offers the opportunity to deepen their competition knowledge and prepare for upcoming challenges.
Tyrolean fighters in exciting duels:
Nikolas Kern (-66 kg, Innsbruck Judo Center)
Nikolas Kern started in the weight class up to 66 kg and met Ivan Zaporozhets from Ukraine in the first round. Despite a committed start, Kern had to admit defeat: he fell twice due to a Ko-Uchi throw from his opponent, which led to two Waza-ari and thus defeat. Unfortunately, the tournament ended for him after the first round.
Felix Einfinger (-73 kg, Innsbruck Judo Center)
In an intense duel against local hero Fekecs Gyula from Hungary, Felix Einfinger initially received a penalty for inactivity, followed by another penalty for a mock attack. Shortly before the end, his Hungarian opponent managed an ippon with a Seoi Nage throw, which sealed Einfinger’s elimination.
Simon Margreiter (-81 kg, ATSV Jenbach)
Simon Margreiter was able to assert himself confidently in the first round against Georgios Bountaniotis from Greece with an Ippon with a hold. The second round, however, was dramatic: Margreiter initially fell behind with a penalty for Stemmen, but fought back with a waza-ari by throwing away. However, after 2 more inactivity penalties, the fight ended with a disqualification (Hansokumake) for Margreiter, which meant his elimination.
Rosalie Baumann (-70 kg, ATSV Jenbach)
In the first round, Rosalie Baumann competed against Jeanne Menanteau from France, who later took third place. The fight began with a penalty (shido) for the Frenchwoman for leaving the mat, followed by an inactivity penalty for Baumann. Shortly afterwards, Menanteau tripped Baumann with a De-Ashi-Barai throw, which led to the defeat. In the consolation round, Baumann met Yana Dovhun from Ukraine. She first fell behind in Waza-ari due to a Tani-O-Toshi throw and then got caught in a hold, which sealed her early elimination with an Ippon.
Lorenz Horngacher (-90 kg, WSG Wattens)
Lorenz Horngacher offered one of the most successful Tyrolean performances. In the first round against Mark Kovacs from Hungary he achieved a waza-ari through Soto-Maki-Komi. Kovacs ultimately received the disqualification (Hansokumake) due to tactical inactivity. In round two, Horngacher secured an ippon with an uchi mata throw against Mikula’s judge from the Czech Republic. After a loss against Nemanja Simic from Serbia and an exciting consolation round match against Illia Bilous from Ukraine, which ended with a Waza-ari awasete Ippon, Horngacher took 9th place.
“The tournament in Győr offered our young Tyrolean judokas a challenging platform to test their skills at an international level. It was a good indicator for our athletes, and it is gratifying that they were able to win battles at this top level,” said the trainer Renate Wassermann, who traveled with us.
