The Belgians were also unable to make any progress on day three of the European Judo Championships. Vicky Verschaere lost in her first round, Sami Chouchi and Toma Nikiforov both lost against the top favorites in their weight class. Belgium ends this European Championship for the second year in a row without any medals.
| Belgians on Saturday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| men | -90 kg | Sami Chouchi | knocked out in 3rd round |
| -100 kg | Toma Nikiforov | eliminated in 2nd round | |
| women | -78 kg | Vicky Verschaere | eliminated in 1st round |
Georgian number 1 necks Nikiforov
Toma Nikiforov (-100 kg) indicated that he was in super shape at the start of this European Championship. That condition came in handy in his first fight. In round 1 he immediately battled the German George Udsilauri (IJF-34) for 8 minutes.
“He is a guy who is difficult to throw, but I know he can’t throw me either. I wanted to make the match long and play it on shidos,” Nikiforov explained his tactics afterwards.
A plan that worked: Udsilauri received three shidos. Partly because the German had barely made any move to try to score himself.
I fall on my stomach, in my eyes that is not waza-ari
Toma Nikiforov
In the second round our compatriot had no luck with the draw. Top favorite and world number 1 Ilia Sulamanidze was his next opponent. Full of confidence, Nikiforov immediately went looking for a score: the first two attacks came from the Belgian.
“I was well warmed up by my first camp. That was my only advantage over the Georgian,” says Nikiforov. An explanation why Sulamanidze only shifted up a gear later.
With a strong leg technique, the top favorite applied a waza-ari to our compatriot. Pursuing at this level is no gift, Nikiforov also saw: “In my eyes I fell on my stomach and it was not waza-ari. After that he kept the camp tightly closed and I could not come back.”
Despite his early exit, Toma Nikiforov has a good feeling about this European Championship: “The draw should not be an excuse, but if I come down a row, I can only meet him in the quarter-finals. But that is judo. To become a champion “You have to be able to beat everyone. I felt really good today and that is a positive sign for the Olympic Games.”
Chouchi loses to Olympic champion
In the category up to 90 kilograms, Sami Chouchi went looking for a good result and points for Olympic qualification.
After a free first round, he cleverly dealt with the Bosnian Toni Miletic (IJF-71). With a good O Soto Gari (leg throw) he did not score at first, but with the follow-up on the ground he kept his opponent in a hold for 19 seconds. That is one second too little for an ippon, but it did produce waza-ari.
If Toma Nikiforov was unlucky in the draw, then it was a disaster for Sami Chouchi. in his third round, the reigning Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri was waiting for him.
I was happy when I heard that I had to fight the Olympic champion
Sami Chouchi
“I was happy when I knew I had to compete against him,” Chouchi tells our camera afterwards. “I had already fought him in training.”
“But today he didn’t give me any chances. On the ground he held me off well and standing up he was simply better than me.”
With two flashy actions, the Georgian scored two waza-ari’s. “Those scores were correct. He was close two or three more times. He deserved to win today.”
Verschaere is disappointed after an early exit
Vicky Verschaere (IJF-66) was at her second European Championship among the seniors. In the category up to 78 kilograms, she had to get past the Russian Darya Kantasavaya (IJF-38) in her first round. After a good start and excellent work on the ground, the East Flemish player seemed to be well on her way.
“I had control in the beginning. I knew I had to watch out for counters and be patient,” says Verschaere himself. “But my patience ran out too quickly. I took a risk and she immediately responded to it. Very unfortunate.”
Verschaere gains experience at the highest level. Our compatriot has only been participating in the international circuit since last year.
The Belgian delegation does not win any medals at the European Judo Championships for the second year in a row.
A side note is of course that our best chance of a medal, Matthias Casse, did not participate in this European championship.
Yet this is again a poor balance for our judo. There is still work to be done towards the Olympic Games, so it is a good thing that this European Championship was seen as a preparation for that.
European Judo Championships: Saturday April 27
The only Belgian who can still play at this European Championship is Heather Loontjes. Not as a judoka, but as an international referee. Loontjens has been on mat 3 for the entire European Championship and has already guided two sides in the final block. Even today our compatriot still has a chance to lead a final on the right track!
Compatriot Heather Loontjes working at this European Championship
No stunt for Chouchi either
Sami Chouchi tries to bring out the good groundwork from the second round again in his third round against the Georgian Olympic champion. Lasha Bekauri has clearly kept an eye on our compatriot. He doesn’t give Chouchi any space in the ground fight.
The Georgian is incredibly strong when standing upright. Chouchi tries to impose his judo, but cannot get out from under Bekauri’s control. After a minute he is handed a waza-ari.
Chouchi remains calm, but Bekauri’s speed is playing tricks on him. A second waza-ari is first waved away by the video referee, but a minute and a half from the end the Georgian produces a nice Soto Makikomi (sacrificial throw). Chouchi has no chance and loses with two waza-ari’s. This means that the European Championship for all Belgians is over and our country does not win a single medal.
Nikiforov struggles against top favorite
Nikiforov immediately shows on the mat that Nikiforov has ambition at this European Championship. The first two attacks come from his side, but yield nothing.
The Georgian number 1 in the world Ilia Sulamanidze waits a bit and gets a shido after he grabbed the sleeve of our compatriot. That is forbidden in judo. It doesn’t stop him from moving up a gear.
Nikiforov defends himself strongly, but with a leg technique the Georgian colossus scores a waza-ari. Immediately afterwards he tries again with Tai Otoshi (arm throw). Nikiforov can narrowly prevent a second score.
Chasing makes the match extra difficult, but our compatriot continues to look for an opportunity to score. His opponent continues to work smartly on the ground to let the time tick away. Despite several attempts, Nikiforov is no longer able to score. After the second round he must leave the European Championship.
Olympic champion for Chouchi
If Sami Chouchi wants to reach the podium, he will have to deal with the top favorite in the third round. Lasha Bekauri is the Olympic champion from Tokyo and is second in the world rankings.
The only 23-year-old Georgian won the Grand Slam of Tbilisi this year, but still has an open account at the European Championship: he lost in the final in Montpellier last year. Today he can win his third European title: he already won gold in 2019 and 2021.
Chouchi on experience to third round
Sami Chouchi (-90 kg) immediately flies in with an o soto gari (leg throw). That doesn’t result in a score, but the result on the ground does. He shows that Chouchi is a strong ground fighter by continuing with a lot of control and grabbing his opponent in a headlock. A tough one: his Bosnian opponent Toni Miletic has to do everything he can, but ultimately comes out just ahead after 19 seconds. That is 1 second too little for an Ippon. Waza-ari then.
Chouchi fights further out of the camp based on experience. Half a minute before the end it is still shocking. The Bosnian surprises our compatriot with a very strong Ippon Seoi Nage. He avoids this by, among other things, holding Miletic’s leg. Something that is actually not allowed and therefore earns him a penalty point, but ultimately also the victory.
Verschaere does not survive the first round
Vicky Verschaere (IJF-66) goes in search of her favorite Kumi Kata (grip), but the Russian Darya Kantsavaya is a strong woman. Standing up, the opportunities for attacks are limited, but on the ground our compatriot continues well. She tries with Sangaku (a technique with which you wrap your legs around your opponent’s head and arm to get him onto his back), but the Russian can just escape.
In the next phase, Verschaere lets himself be picked up. Always a dangerous situation. When she wants to use a forward throw herself, the Russian outsmarts her. She counters our compatriot with a sacrificial throw. Verschaere’s European Championship ends in the first round.
Nikiforov already won once against Sulamanidze (IJF-1)
The number 1 in the world is a very tough opponent to face in the second round. Nikiforov has to build on his one victory against the Georgian bear. That dates back to 2021 and since then the Sulamanidze has won twice against Nikiforov. For a medal, our compatriot will have to hang the placards equally in the mutual confrontations.
Relaxed Chouchi before the competition
It just so happened that we arrived at the arena together with Sami Chouchi. He entered the hall playing with a ball and with a broad smile. It remains remarkable how calm our compatriot manages to remain under all circumstances. But stress resistance is one of the most important factors in judo!
The always chill Sami Chouchi in the warm-up room
Nikiforov to second round
The German Udsilauri (IJF-34) proves to be a tough customer for Toma Nikiforov. He does very little himself, but also leaves no room for our compatriot. In a very closed camp, Nikiforov takes the initiative most often. Udsilauri’s reserved fighting style earns the German a shido, although the referee waits a very long time to do so.
None of the two judokas can make a good attack. The camp goes to Golden Score, where Nikiforov is also by far the most active. In the end, the Udsilauri gets two more shidos for passivity. Nikiforov pushed through, but had to go quite deep in his first round.
Toma Nikiforov for this European Championship
Extra weighting for Nikiforov and Verschaere
The judokas are always weighed the evening before the competition day because achieving that weight is quite a task. To keep everything fair during the competition, only 5% body weight is allowed on the day of the camps. As a check, a random weighing is done before the competitions.
Today our compatriots Nikiforov and Verschaere have to weigh the scales again. In the heavier weight classes, that 5% margin is not too bad, but it does disrupt your preparation a bit. Hopefully the Belgians are not too bothered by it and they were frugal at the breakfast buffet this morning!
Tough draw for three Belgians
To still go home with a medal, one of the three Belgians must reach the podium today. But that won’t be easy. All compatriots face very tough opponents.
Sami Chouchi (-90 kg) was released in the first round and he will meet a feasible opponent in the second round. The Bosnian Miletic (IJF-71) is almost 40 places lower in the world rankings than our compatriot. If Chouchi survives his first camp, things will be different for him. In all likelihood he will meet the current Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri (IJF-2).
Toma Nikiforov (IJF-22) has to defeat the German Udsilauri (IJF-34) in his first round. He defeated him last year at the World Cup in Doha. If he advances to round 2, he will look the Georgian number 1 in the world in the eye: Ilia Sulamanidze. The top favorite at this European Championship in the class up to 100 kilograms.
The women are looking forward to the young Vicky Verschaere (IJF-66). In the class up to 78 kilograms she drew in the first round Russian Darya Kantsavaya (IJF-38). This is Verschaere’s second European Championship among the seniors. After winning the European Cup in Poland and fifth place at the Austrian Grand Prix, our compatriot suggests that she is in good shape.
Tags: Nikiforov Chouchi Verschaere win medal European Championships feeling good
