The German judo team is on course for a medal in the mixed competition. The team led by silver winner Miriam Butkereit defeated Austria and Brazil and is now in the semifinals. The flag bearer was absent.
Germany got off to a perfect start in the quarter-finals against Brazil. Igor Wandtke defeated the Brazilian Daniel Cargnin in the weight class up to 73 kilograms by Ippon. Miriam Butkereit – Germany’s only individual medalist with silver – followed suit (up to 70 kilograms). The score was 2:0 for the German team.
Three men and three women each in six weight classes
That’s half the battle in a mixed team. Four wins are needed for overall success. Three men and three women fight in each team. They take turns competing in six weight classes. Each fight won earns one point.
If a mixed doubles event ends in a 3:3 draw after the six scheduled fights, a deciding fight will be held. Which weight class has to compete again will be determined by drawing lots.
It goes into the decisive battle
And it was precisely this decisive fight that was to take place despite a 2-0 lead against Brazil. Because the South Americans were able to counter. Eduard Trippel lost in the weight class up to 90 kilograms against Rafael Macedo. In the women’s heavyweight division, Renee Lucht had to admit defeat to the – physically clearly (!) superior – Olympic champion Beatriz Souza. It was the equalizer.
Since Erik Abramov then scored for the German team (90 kilograms), but Pauline Starke lost (up to 57 kilograms), a deciding fight was necessary. The draw was kind to Germany. Abramov was allowed to compete again, and again he prevailed against Leonardo Goncalves. Germany was in the semi-final against Japan.
Confident start in the round of 16
The round of 16 match against Austria in the morning was even less dramatic. It took just 23 seconds for Pauline Starke to win her fight in the weight class up to 57 kilograms against Katharina Tanzer by Ippon. The score was 1:0 for the German team.
Austria was able to equalize at 1:1. In the next fight in the 73 kilogram class, Igor Wandtke lost to Samuel Gassner by Ippon after just over three minutes. However, it was to be the last German defeat in this round of 16.
Silver winner Miriam Butkereit (up to 70 kilograms) brought the team back into the lead – and needed just 15 seconds to do so against Lubjana Piovesana. Eduard Trippel in the golden score against Wachid Borchashvili (up to 90 kilograms) and Renee Lucht against Michaela Polleres (70 kilograms) made the 4:1 victory.
Anna-Maria Wagner is missing due to injury
Anna-Maria Wagner will have to sit out the mixed team. The flag bearer suffered an injury to her medial ligament. The 28-year-old had actually hoped to be able to end the games in the team competition on a positive note. In the individual competition, she had arrived with gold ambitions but was left without a medal after losing the battle for bronze.
The only medal for the German Judo Federation (DKB) team in the individual event at the Summer Games in Paris was won by Butkereit, who won silver in the 70 kg class. At the premiere of the team competition in Tokyo, Germany won bronze.
2024-08-03 08:27:23
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