Judo: Sophie Berger offers bronze for her return!

Two fights, only, for a bronze medal… Sophie Berger had chosen Oberwart, in Austria, for her return to competition, ten months after her knee operation. Engaged in -78 kg, where there were only… seven judokas, the 25-year-old Liégeoise, coached by Fabrice Flamand (!), first lost to the Turkish Yilmaz before winning against the Montenegrin Pekovic.

In this fight for bronze, Sophie surprised her opponent by launching a left attack after just over a minute and a half. Then, controlling the fight, she completed the work on a standstill after 3’07. This convincing victory should reassure her for the future, she who had not fought since October 24, 2021, in Malaga, against the Lithuanian Dudenaite.

That day, Sophie Berger had torn the internal lateral ligament of the knee, forcing her to undergo surgery, in Antwerp, by Doctor Declercq.

Committed on Saturday, in -48 kg, Lois Petit finished at the foot of the podium. After beating Turkmen Shavkadova, the 23-year-old Tournaisian lost to Slovenian Stangar. Sent back to the repechages, Lois dominated the Kazakh Tynbayeva to have the right to compete for bronze against the Romanian Pop who deprived her of the podium.