A little tour and then goes for Benjamin Axus, this Saturday at the Uzbek Worlds. The slender French was seized from the start by the Tajik Behruzi Khojazoda, solid but not a monster in the -73 kg category either. As too often, Axus failed to impose his extension, which his rival, on the other hand, took advantage of to win on waza-ari.
“Fights like that we don’t want to do anymore, it doesn’t make you want to do judo”, confided annoyed Benjamin Axus (28 years old) who was competing there for his third Worlds. “I haven’t found the solution. His strength was to inhibit me, to take away my ability to attack. All this preparation to live moments and not manage to do judo… I didn’t recognize myself “, added the one whose commitment is nevertheless one of the assets.
Gaba winner in the 1st round
Already at the European Championships, in the spring, the 2021 military world vice-champion had not dared enough. Like this Saturday. “I want to go there too. It’s all about timing but I couldn’t put my hands down correctly…” Dejected, the French tried to plan for the mixed team event on October 13: “There is always less pressure in the teams. It will be difficult for things to go less well…”
In -73 kg, Joan-Benjamin Gaba passed the first round against the Algerian Messaoud Redouane (waza-ari). In the second round, one of the rookies of the Blues (21 years old) will be opposed to the Japanese Soichi Hashimoto, world champion in 2017, silver medalist in 2018 and bronze in 2021.
