European Judo Championships – Duyck, Willems and Carrao die in the second round: “Secretly dreamed of a medal”

Despite her long injury, Willems still wanted to show more here:

“I want to use a counter that I am used to doing. But I just haven’t been able to train enough. I was a little too tense and was even a bit afraid of injuring myself.”

“Winning a camp is of course good, but two or three victories would have been better. I enjoyed experiencing the atmosphere again at a major championship and am looking forward to showing what I have to offer again.”

Willems starts her second camp more aggressively and immediately takes the initiative. She tries to force her Kumi Kata and threatens to sweep her legs. When she tries to launch a counter after a minute of fighting, the Portuguese surprises our compatriot with a strong Uchi Mata (hip throw). Just when Willems wants to forward, her opponent jumps up at the right moment. Ippon is the verdict, just like the elimination at this European Championship.

We speak to Alessia Corrao when the first emotions have already been digested:

“It was a very long and tactical match and I think my opponent organized it better. I was super focused on the Kumi Kata and that played tricks on me in the end.”

“I should have persevered more on the ground. This was my first European Championship and I was a bit too nervous. I have to arrive here and be free, without stress.”

“I didn’t know that I could be punished for that last action. But that is my own fault. I have to know the rules and you cannot change anything about the arbitration. I came here for more and am still left frustrated.”

Immediately after his camp we meet a disappointed Jarne Duyck in front of our camera:

“I knew my opponent from a training camp, knew that the match would be tough and that his left sleeve was extremely important. In the beginning I could grab him well, but attacking was difficult,” Duyck himself analyzes.

“I am quite big, which means that the opposition usually has more strength than I do. Conditionally I am strong, so I wanted to make the match as long as possible. Then I make a stupid mistake in the Golden Score and it is of course the end.” story.”

“I wanted to attack so as not to get a second punishment, but my effort wasn’t good enough. I also thought that the ground fight had already started (when the ground fight starts, you can no longer score with a throw), but that wasn’t it case. My opponent follows smartly and still throws me.”

“Of course I dreamed of a podium, but above all I wanted to show that I am worthy of being here. I came here to fight a good battle against the top 8, but it ends in the second round. This result is So it’s a disappointment.”

Alessia Corrao also does not get beyond the second round. In her match against the Czech Renata Zachova (IJF-22), she tries to score on the counter, but her wait-and-see attitude earns her a penalty for passivity.

It is difficult to walk upright, she tries to find an opening on the ground. But the Czech closes everything well and when Corrao continues to hold the left collar with both hands for too long, she is punished again for one-sided grip.

Neither lady can score, but after 13 seconds in the Golden Score our compatriot is handed a third and fatal punishment. End of camp and end of European Championship.

Waiting but concentrated, Jarne Duyck starts his camp against the Portuguese Egutidze (IJF-54). It is a matter of searching for his favorite Kumi Kata (way of gripping), which makes attacking himself difficult at first. When Duyck does try, he walks on a shido for a feint attack.

He threatens to sweep his legs and tries to take control of the camp himself. With a decent attempt at Sumi Gaeshi (sacrifice throw) and good work on the ground, Duyck continues to threaten. After four minutes there is no scoring, so the match is fought in the Golden Score.

Duyck tries to attack further, but after a lesser attempt he ends up on his knees. The Portuguese shifts smartly and throws our compatriot. The waza-ari means the end of Duyck’s European Championship.

On paper, Gabriella Willems’ next opponent is less sturdy than the first. The Portuguese Joana Crisostomo is number 52 in the world, but has not yet achieved any significant results among the seniors. Willems already met the Portuguese once in 2021 and walked away as the winner.

Gabriella Willems starts her comeback with difficulty. She fights cautiously and leaves the initiative to her Russian opponent. Two penalty points for passivity are the signal to move up a gear. She looks for openings and when Taimazova herself goes for the drop Seoi-Nage (shoulder throw on the knees), our compatriot anticipates well. She throws the Russian on the back with a takeover. Good for a win with Ippon!

You probably already knew that the world’s number 1 Matthias Casse is missing out on the European Championships. The other big star in the category up to 81 kilograms is on the mat for the first time this year.

Tato Grigalashvili (IJF-2) is the reigning world champion and the man to beat at this European Championship. It is a matter of guessing his form, because unlike Casse, he has not yet fought a single tournament in 2024.

Last year, the Georgian was beaten in the final by the Turk Albayrak. Grigalashvili will therefore be looking for revenge. Can he add a third European title to his list of achievements?