Judo On Saturday the men of the 1st JC Mönchengladbach will start the new judo season of the 2nd Bundesliga against the Braunschweiger JC. The women also contest their first day of fighting in the NRW-LIga and start their mission to return to the Bundesliga.
A little less than a year ago, Jasmin Grabowski was still standing on an Olympic mat and won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games together with the German mixed judo team. Now she will be standing next to the mat as a trainer for the first time at the weekend – at the ladies of the 1. JC Mönchengladbach in the NRW league.
Until 2017, the judo women of the 1st JC still competed in the 1st Bundesliga, before the team had to be withdrawn for personnel reasons and started again in the Oberliga. After promotion to the NRW league, the past two seasons have now been canceled due to the corona or played out on a voluntary basis without a sporting rating. Now work should continue on the Bundesliga return. As early as 2018, Jan Dörbandt, then team manager of the men’s team and now vice president of the 1st JC, spoke of a fresh start and the goal of fighting with both teams again at least in the 2nd Bundesliga within the next three to four years. New coach Grabowski, who will coach the women together with Melina Dörbandt, has now also substantiated this goal. “Our goal with the women’s team is promotion,” says Grabowski. In the course of her sporting career, she herself has already fought for the 1st JC in the Bundesliga, so it should ideally go back to that. They are convinced in Mönchengladbach that the squad has the potential to achieve promotion to the second Bundesliga this year. “The women’s squad is very strong: a good mix of experienced fighters and top young athletes,” says Peer Radtke from 1. JC, who will also start the new season of the 2nd Bundesliga with the men at the weekend.
The men’s actual start against Braunschweiger JC in April was canceled because the guests had too many corona cases. “We then agreed that we would postpone the game. It also suited us well because it means our coach Vahid Sarlak can be there on the day of the fight,” Radtke continued. Sarlak also trains the IJF refugee team. Newcomer Odai Al Mawarde (weight class -81 kilograms) will also be available for the 1st JC against Braunschweig. On Saturday, the fights will not take place in the local Jahnhalle, but in the Geusenstraße sports hall in Rheindahlen. The fight starts at 4 p.m. The women will fight on Sunday at 11 a.m., also in Rheindahlen. JC Holzwickede and 1. SC Lippetal will then be guests.
