Para Sport – “Young German judoka with visual impairments or blindness return again as the most successful judo team in Europe”
During the week of June 27th to July 4th the European Para Youth Games took place in Finland. A total of 29 delegations from all over Europe met to compete in a wide variety of Paralympic sports, including the Paralympic discipline of judo for people with visual impairments or blindness (para judo). This event represented the European Championships for the Para Judo junior sector (15 to 21 years of age). This year only individual competitions were held, which after 2019 were held again in the Finnish Paralympic Center Pajulahti.
The delegation of the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) consisted of 8 judoka, all of whom were on the international stage for the first time, seven of them from the Hesse state association (HBRS/HJV) and one from the Bavarian state association (BVS).
The Hessian fighters all go to the Carl Strehl School of the Blind Study Institute (blista) in Marburg, where they do their schooling as a “school of paralympic competitive sports” and can also do competitive para sports as boarding school students. The Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) also operates a Paralympic training center at the blista, so it is not surprising that a particularly large number of young talents can be spotted here and developed in a goal-oriented manner for perspective participation in the Paralympic Games.
The Hessian teacher trainer Markus Zaumbrecher, who is also responsible for the young German youth at the DBS, had not only prepared his judoka for this important European Championship with his team of trainers, but also accompanied them as a trainer and pedagogue. The national coach, Carmen Bruckmann, was also on the German team to get a well-founded impression of the level of performance of the debutants in order to be able to nominate them for inclusion in the junior squad if necessary.
Milo Nowak fought for the silver medal as a severely visually impaired (J2) in the weight class up to 60 kg with good performances. Lukas Riedel and Béla Heinze, both up to 73kg (J2) both club mates from the Paralympic youth training center blista Marburg, competed in the under 18 class for the gold medal, which after an intense and relatively balanced duel, finally in the fourth minute of the “Golden Scores” Heinze was able to secure for himself. The German team was rewarded with three more junior European championship titles – Leon Lange and Mathilda Maas, both J2, and the blind Lina Strötzel each fought for the top spot on the podium.
Munich’s Samuel van Melle, who was also chosen as the flag bearer as the youngest member of the team, was also the lightest athlete in the German youth team. That was disadvantageous because he had to compete against much heavier athletes in his age and weight class. The varied judoka was still able to win a well-deserved bronze medal through effective techniques.
The nominated Vanessa Wagner from Marburg, now a member of the women’s national team Para Judo as an NK1 athlete, was unfortunately unable to prove her role as a favorite because she was unable to travel to Finland at short notice.
“Thanks to the performances shown, four of the newcomers have already been won for the junior squad. There is still a lot to do, but the good work with young people is bearing fruit,” said national coach Carmen Bruckmann with satisfaction.
“We all go home with a lot of new experiences and joy in the team, we not only have 4 European champions and two runners-up titles in our luggage, but for the third time in a row we have managed to leave this European junior championship as the most successful nation in Para Judo . I have my doubts, but I hope that we will be able to maintain this good development in the future, even when times have become particularly difficult,” added the Para Judo youth national trainer Markus Zaumbrecher.
Congratulations to the Para Team judoka and their coaches.
Bettina Mueller
Text and photo: Paula Korn
