Villigen/Gebenstorf
Bronze at the Zagreb Grand Prix: Judokas have a good start to the Olympic qualification
Fabienne Kocher (above) fights against Mascha Ballhaus.
After a short dry spell, Fabienne Kocher (-52 kg) was able to assert herself again on the IJF world tour in Croatia – she returned from the well-attended Grand Prix Zagreb with bronze. With a last-minute win against Van Krevel (NED), the tournament for the world number seven from Stilli got off to a nerve-wracking start, according to the National Judo Performance Center in Brugg. Round two against Sultanbekova (KAZ), on the other hand, was a sure thing.
After a long duel, Kocher also won the quarter-final against Lopez Sheriff (ESP) with the highest score. The performance center continues:
“Despite good effort, she had to admit defeat in the semi-finals to reigning Olympic champion Abe (JPN).”
In the fight for third place, Kocher got the chance to take revenge against Ballhaus (GER) – Kocher lost against the German in the first round of the Grand Slam Budapest a week earlier.
Judoka Fabienne Kocher is Aargau Sportswoman of the Year 2021. Here with friend Stefano Pons.
This time, the Swiss top performer finished the fight victoriously. The medal earned in this way also brings with it the first important qualifying points for Paris 2024.
In the quarter-finals, Eich was stopped by the reigning Vice European Champion
According to the announcement, Daniel Eich (-100 kg) also delivered an impressive performance. He also won the bronze medal with four wins from five fights a week after finishing fifth in the Grand Slam. At the start he defeated Haga (JPN), one of the tournament favourites. He was then able to defeat Delvert (FRA) before being stopped in the quarter-finals by the reigning Vice European Champion Kuczera (POL).
Eich certainly had a chance of reaching the semi-finals, as he was in the lead until the last minute of the fight. In this regard, the notification states:
“He bit through the hopefuls, where he was always the more offensive fighter and his opponent Sharkhan (KAZ) was penalized for being passive.”
Then – like a week before in Hungary – he faced double world champion Sherazadishvili (ESP) in the small final.
Daniel Eich (right) and Nikoloz Sherazadishvili in a duel.
The 22-year-old Lassenstorfer was able to take his revenge and this time secured the precious metal. Thanks to the most recent top results, the youngster has put himself in pole position for the next Olympic Games. Eich has only been on the IJF world tour for almost a year and is already 18th in the world rankings. He also finished third at the European Championships in April.
