On November 9th & 10th, 2024, the first sporting events took place in the newly renovated Kirchbacher Hall with the Styrian team championships and the Judo Vulkanland Cup. The competitions were a complete success for the local judoka!
In terms of sport, the judoka from Southeast Styria were once again able to make a huge statement. The judoka from Vulkanland fielded a team in every competition, which proves that popular judo sport is very important in Vulkanland. The successes that were achieved at the weekend speak for the good work of the regional clubs.
Saturday, November 9th: Styrian team competitions
The Styrian school team championship was held in the morning. Compared to previous years, the number of participating student teams was limited. It is all the more pleasing that the judo cooperation in Vulkanland was able to field a team for girls and boys. This proves that the path chosen by the people of Southeast Styria is correct. Both teams showed great competitive judo and were able to achieve many great individual victories. The result is impressive:
1st place and with it the Styrian championship title for the Vulkanland boys’ judo team
(with the Kirchbachers: Fabian Wagner, Josua Grasser, Johannes Archan, Dominik Süßmaier, Patrick Reicht, Xaver Löffler)
2nd place for the Vulkanland girls judo team
(with the Kirchbach women: Marie Irandokoye, Mathilde Grasser)
The Styrian state judo league for adults took place in the afternoon.
Here too, the judoka from the region were represented with a women’s and a men’s team.
Although the Vulkanland women were not able to compete in all weight classes, they put together a powerful team.
The mix of young and experienced fighters was the recipe for success. In three thrilling rounds, the Southeast Styrian women gave it their all and fought for the championship title!
1st place for the Vulkanland ladies
(with the Kirchbach women: Stefanie Archan, Melissa Mandl, Lisa Rumpf)
The men from the Eichfeld/Kirchbach competition community took to the mat as defending champions. A 4:10 opening defeat against Union Graz – last season in the Bundesliga – made defending the title impossible. But the Southeast Styrians only hung their heads for a moment. The next match against ASKÖ Graz was won 10:4. The atmosphere in the hall was overwhelming and the men from Eichfeld/Kirchbach were able to turn a 3:4 halftime deficit into a 7:7 draw. In the end that meant
3rd place for Eichfeld/Kirchbach
(with the Kirchbachers: Mario Kickmayer, Josef Dass, Laurin Dass, Dominik Reicht, Daniel Reicht, Christoph Gangl, Benjamin Archan, Georg Archan, Julian Hofer)
It continued on November 10th. with the final round of the Judo Vulkanland Cup.
This is where the youngest children made their big appearance. 74 judoka from the region showed off their skills in front of full ranks.
The judo kids from Vulkanland (Eichfeld, Feldbach, Kirchbach) and the guest clubs Gleisdorf and Leibnitz were highly motivated and rose to the challenge. At the end, all fighters received honorary awards for the daily ranking. At the end, the cup points were added up and the coveted Vulkanland medals were awarded.
It is particularly pleasing that the district ranking of the Judo Vulkanland Cup 2024 went to the Union Judo Club Kirchbach. Places 2 and 3 went to Eichfeld and Feldbach.
All in all, one can speak of a more than successful judo festival in Kirchbach!!
It’s not just the sporting successes that make the people of Kirchbach proud, but also the great solidarity within the club that makes such a great event possible.
At this point a big thank you to all Vulkanland judoka and helpers!
