Finally! In his fifth attempt at a podium place he won his first international medal – Magamed Borchashvilli took bronze in the class up to 81 kilos at the Under-23 European Championships in Pila (POL) on Saturday. The youngest from the Vienna “Borchashvilli clan” has been with the Galaxy Tigers for 15 years. And as the youngest child in the family, he was “doomed” to do judo…
The four missed chances for precious metal so far – two of them this year, at the European Open in Madrid (defeat against Hievorh Manukian / UKR) and Sarajevo-Pale (defeat against Botond Toth / HUN) – would have kept him very busy before the decisive battle. “You just think: Please, not fifth again!” But Magamed kept his nerve and defeated the Czech Petr Mlady and was relieved afterwards: “It was as if a weight had been lifted from my heart,” laughed the 21-year-old, who was immediately congratulated by his teammates and coaches. The first podium place at a major international event was secured!
Magamed started as a six-year-old with the Galaxy Tigers, and club coach Thomas Haasmann remembers: “He was a lazy dog. But he has been fully involved for a good two years and I see great potential in Magamed,” says his home trainer. In October Borchashvilli won his first state championship title in the general class in Feldkirchen, now bronze at the Under-23 European Championships. A medal that his club colleague and 81 kilo “rival” Bernd Fasching missed out in fifth place last year. “But the internal competition is good for both of them, you can see that,” says Haasmann, who was very happy about his protégé’s medal. “He’s strong because he can throw in a variety of ways,” he says. But also reprimands him: “Tactically, he still makes too many mistakes.”
What stood out: Magamed decided some of the four fights he won on the ground. However, he also lost in the semifinals in Ne-waza. Haasmann “expects a lot from the new Südstadt coach Jozef Krnjac – he is a soil specialist.” The new member of the ÖJV coaching team won Olympic silver up to 66 kilos in Athens in 2004 and was most recently the junior national coach in his home country of Slovakia. “He can certainly help us, especially with stand-to-ground transition techniques,” says the Galaxy coach.
Magamed should also benefit from this. The chick of the Viennese Borchashvillis – which has nothing to do with the catfish Shamil and Wachid Borchashvili (who, by the way, is ending his career) (they only spell each other with an “l”) – has two strong brothers in his own house: the heavyweight, who is two years older Movli and Adamwho will turn 28 in December and is now looking after the family of Chechen descent after his father unfortunately passed away during the Corona period. “As the youngest, I always had a hard time,” says Magamed, who was born in Vienna. “Of course my brothers brought me to the club.” Magamed Borchashvilli – he was “damned” to judo…
What’s next? Tomorrow, Monday, the judoka of the Allianz Kukla Galaxy Tigers will move into a ten-day high-altitude camp in Kühtai in Tyrol, the Final Four in Gmunden on November 30th, and the following Monday Magamed, Movli and Bernd will fly to train until shortly before Christmas Japan. Speaking of carnival: His torn tendon in his forearm appears to have healed well. But Haasmann leaves it open whether the “Mister Bundesliga 2023” will take to the mat in Gmunden.
While the eight-member ÖJV team began the 800-kilometer journey home on Sunday morning, the mixed teams of under-23s are still fighting for European Championship medals in Pila, the Polish industrial city. A total of eleven nations have registered for this final European Championship competition.
Foto: Die Teamkollegen waren die ersten Gratulanten des EM-Bronzenen Magamed BORCHASHVILLI - @EJU / Gabi Juan
