For once, we could count the representatives of Walloon Brabant on one hand. Unfortunately, at the start of the fights Antonino Milioto (-73kg, JC Ittre) was missing. And the Brabançons’ hopes of podiums did not increase when Thomas Janssens (+100 kg) was eliminated. The last hopes of medals therefore rested on the frail shoulders of Victoria Sibille and Celia Van Beneden, the two juniors from Inter Gembloux Wavre, entered in the under 48 kg category and those, more robust, of Jitse Van Den Herrewegen (-100kg, IGW), outgoing champion of less than 90 kg, who following a little flu did not have time to make weight and lined up in the category higher than that in which he is used to shine. The three representatives of Inter Gembloux Wavre would hold their place.
Twice the bronze
In the under 48 kg category, Victoria Sibille, the Belgian junior champion, finds herself facing regional champion Maelys Sarah Dapa. The two judokates cannot decide between themselves. It’s time for the Golden Score where after two minutes, Victoria Sibille is beaten and must go through the repechage box to hope to win the bronze medal. Lucky for her, Viorica Kiriac forfeits this last fight.
For her part, Celia Van Beneden was not spared by the draw. She lost her first fight against Lotte Vandevoort, the protégé of Ilse Heylen, our bronze medalist at the Athens Olympics. And in the repechage, it is against Lotte Petré, once again a judokate coached by Ilse Heylen that Celia must fight to get this bronze medal. A fight that Celia will dominate to finally win and thus win her first senior medal at the age of 17.
And a title for the IGW
Meanwhile, Jitse Van Den Herrewegen (IGW) was happy to discover his opponents in the under 100 kg category. In his first fight, he defeated Bruges’ Sébastien Lamproye with a solid ippon. He then dispatched Warre Nient in less than two minutes to join Jarno Dewulf in the final. In the final, Jarno deWulf directly surprised Inter judoka Gembloux Wavre. He has to go up the waza-ari. Which will be quickly resolved before concluding with an ippon. Jitse Van Den Herrewegen is therefore the new Belgian champion under 100 kg.
In the end, with a gold medal and two bronze medals, Inter Gembloux Wavre missed nothing during these Belgian championships which took place for the first time in Louvain-La-Neuve.
