Alice Bellandi’s position seems increasingly solid when there is only one day of competition left at the end of the Budapest World Championships (at least for the individual categories) and the Olympic qualifiers for judo at the Tokyo 2021 Games. direct or at least win the continental quota reserved for the Bel Paese (which will go to Nicholas Mungai).
The fate of the born in Brescia in 1998 is still in the balance and it depends on the possibility of being rescued, taking advantage of one of the two continental female quotas left vacant by Oceania. The 2018 junior world champion is virtually at first place in this repechage ranking on a world scale and can also afford to lose a position tomorrow to stamp the Olympic pass.
In particular, the female +78 kg category should be monitored, where the progress of the fight for direct qualification will inevitably also reflect on Bellandi’s chances. One of the possible “distance” opponents of our standard bearer will be the British Sarah Adlington (currently without continental quota), which in the event of a world bronze could overtake the blue in terms of absolute score in the ranking.
The combinations that would condemn Bellandi are however limited and almost utopian, following the results archived today on the sixth day of competition between the -78 kg and -100 kg categories. If the repechage of the 22-year-old Lombard were to materialize, Italy would win the Olympic pass also for the mixed team event, a format that will make its debut in the five-circle program in Tokyo.
Photo: EJU
