When the call came from the women’s national coach, Giovanna Scoccimarro’s jubilation was huge on Tuesday. The big goal was achieved, the Lessienerin kept her Olympic nomination, fights for medals in Tokyo for Germany in judo. Claudiu Pusa sat on the other end of the line and was happy with Scoccimarro. But he also felt with his second top athlete in the class up to 70 kilos. Miriam Butkereit (Glinde) had asked Scoccimarro again after the postponement of the games to 2021 in the remote duel, but could no longer snatch the ticket from Lessien. She has to stay at home.
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“I couldn’t sleep for the days, both deserve it, both can win medals in Tokyo,” said the national coach. A luxury problem that he only has in the class up to 78 kilograms in Germany. There are two athletes each who, thanks to their constant performance in the Olympic qualification lists, have actually secured a starting place for Tokyo. But only one athlete per nation and weight class is allowed to start. “That really hurts me,” says Pusa.
But with a view to Tokyo, he is sure that he made the right decision. “Giovanna showed a stable performance development over the entire qualification.” From his point of view, Scoccimarro’s appearances at the Masters in Doha (Qatar) and at the Grand Slam in Kazan (Russia) were decisive: “The Masters has the status of a world championship, only the 32 best are allowed to start.” Here the 23-year-old won bronze. In Kazan there was then silver, which shines golden for the national coach after a debatable final defeat against local hero Madina Taimazova. “Acquaintances told me that they themselves said on Russian television that the German was better. But the judges saw it differently …”
Pusa also saw Scoccimarro’s World Cup end in the second round after the epic Golden Score against Australian Aoife Coughlan differently – and was not alone in his opinion. “I don’t always want to say that the referees make mistakes, they saw it differently. But other referees came to me and said that the Australian should have got the third Shido.”
And even if he had sleepless nights because he was sorry for the decision for the loser – he knew who would represent Germany in Japan in the class up to 70 kilograms. “Giovanna is fifth in the adjusted Olympic rankings, Miriam seventh.”
Pusa praises Scoccimarro, who fights for MTV Vorsfelde, calls her, in a positive sense, “a nerd. She works really hard with her body. She always wants more, she pushes her own limits. Her battery is always full. Sometimes we say: ‘You don’t need that anymore, that’s enough’ – and she tries again and again to find ways that she can still do something. She is a professional. ” That’s why he says with regard to Tokyo: “Your body is in top shape. I’m not worried. Giovanna has a real chance of a medal!”
