The wait is about to end and the countdown is now running out in view of the World Judo Championships 2022, which will take place from 6 to 13 October on the tatami mats of the Humo Arena in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Over 580 athletes from 87 countries will battle it out with the dream of a medal and with the aim of scrapping key points with a view to Olympic qualification for Paris 2024.
Italy, after having collected encouraging results in the youth reviews of recent weeks, has important ambitions also at the senior level and is at the starting line of the highlight of the season with the maximum contingent of 18 judokas distributed equally between male and female individual categories, however he will not take part in the team event on the last day.
There will be eight absolute rookies in a Senior World Cup, almost 50% of the blue team, while the only one already capable of getting on the absolute world championship podium is Manuel Lombardo with the silver of Budapest 2021 in the last race before the Tokyo Olympic Games. The 23-year-old from Piedmont had taken that medal in the 66 kg, but this year he moved up to the next weight category (73 kg) and will not be seeded in Wednesday’s draw.
Judo World Cup 2022 calendar: program, schedules, TV, streaming
Among men we will see in action too Angelo Pantano (60 kg), Matteo Piras (66), Elios Manzi (European bronze in charge in the 66 kg), Giovanni Esposito (vice-champion of Europe in 73 kg), Antonio Esposito (81), Nicholas Mungai (90), Christian Parlati (luxury outsider in 90 kg after an excellent first part of the season) e Lorenzo Agro Sylvain (+100).
Despite a so far negative season, conditioned by some injuries and physical problems that have kept her away from competitions for five months, it is woeful to underestimate a champion like Odette Giuffrida. Twice Olympic medalist and European gold medalist in 2020, the Roman judoka finally wants to unlock herself at the World Championships and is hunting for the first career podium in 52 kg.
Tricolor women’s sector that can also count on an extremely interesting couple in the 48 kg, formed by Francesca Milani and Assunta Scuttoboth possible candidates for a medal, as well as a big international that responds to the name of Alice Bellandi. The born in Brescia in 1998 found the ideal context this year in the -78 kg, unleashing all her talent and showing that she can beat anyone in the new category (including the Japanese Olympic champion Shamada).
Now the time has come to reap the benefits of an exceptional path even in a great event like the World Cup, after the bittersweet bronze of the last European Championships, however the 2018 junior world champion (in the 70 kg) will not yet be seeded in Tashkent and the draw risks penalizing it. Also convene Martina Castagnola (52), Veronica Toniolo (57), Nicolle D’Isanto (63), Martina Esposito (70) and Giorgia Stangherlin (78)who will try to do well without too much pressure.
Photo: IJF
