“Coming German Champion”: UJKC Potsdam hot for Judo Bundesliga

The south has already started, in the north season there will be fighting again from this Saturday – but the UJKC Potsdam has to wait a little longer until the judo Bundesliga season begins for them. Because the MBS Arena was otherwise blocked for this weekend, the people of Potsdam had arranged their appointments differently in the long term. So the UJKC year of fighting will not start until May 14th – away against the four-time German champion Hamburger JT. “We’ll know right away where we stand,” said coach Christopher Schwarzer on Thursday evening at the official team presentation in the airship port.

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Mayor Mike Schubert (SPD) spoke of the “coming German champion” when looking at the team. A vision that Schwarzer underpinned. In the past three seasons they have made it to the semifinals every time and received bronze as a result, “but in the end third is the second best loser”, emphasized the coach. “We finally want to get to the top.”

For the mission, the talent factory relies on its many own athletes as usual, but also supplements the squad again with international guest starters. “Totally surprisingly, we used the Austrian market,” said Schwarzer mischievously. The former Potsdamer Yvonne Bönisch has been the head trainer in the Alpine Republic since 2021 and has now placed three of her fighters with the UJKC. Shamil Borchashvili, who finished third in the limit of up to 81 kilos at the Tokyo Games, brings Olympic glory with him. His brother Wachid should also compete for Potsdam. “It’s a big judo family with other siblings and cousins. We could have filled all weight classes with them alone,” said Schwarzer and laughed. The Hungarian Krisztian Toth (up to 90), also decorated with bronze in Tokyo, remains loyal to the UJKC. “We’re stronger than ever,” was the verdict of the coach.