Starts tomorrow on Grand Slam in Baku 2022, third last seasonal event of the Judo World Tour which is giving away very important points in terms of Olympic qualification towards the 2024 Paris Games. Italy presents itself in the Azerbaijani capital with a decidedly ambitious and competitive team, to try to prolong the positive trend after the fantastic result of Abu Dhabi (best Grand Slam ever for the blue movement).
19 (10 men and 9 women) will be the judokas of the Bel Paese engaged on the tatami mats of the Heydar Aliyev Sport Arena, among which the fresh world medalist Christian Parlati and other international big names such as Francesca Milani, Odette Giuffrida, Alice Bellandi, Giovanni Esposito and Manuel Lombardo stand out. Absolute debut in the major circuit for Sara Lisciani, a 19-year-old Roman capable of winning the bronze in the last two editions of the Junior European Championships in the -63 kg.
“Last Grand Slam of the year for the Italian team and then we will better prepare the master at the end of December. As with what happened in Abu Dhabi, the guys are fine, they are in good shape and we think it’s okay to strike while the iron is hot.“, Declared Francesco Bruyere.
“Here too there will be a bit of turnover based on individual needs, obviously the commitment and mental stress for those who arrive from the world without stopping is very high, but I’m sure the boys will be able to respond in the best possible way.“, Added the blue technician to the federal site.
Tournament crucial for several local athletes also in the hunt for a pass for the Master of Jerusalem (20-22 December), reserved only for the first 36 of the world ranking in each weight category, which automatically guarantees 200 points for participation and a maximum of 1800 for the winners of the event in the WRL.
CALLED ITALY GRAND SLAM BAKU JUDO 2022
DONNE:
Francesca Milani (48), Odette Giuffrida (52), Martina Castagnola (52), Veronica Toniolo (57), Sara Lisciani (63), Martina Esposito (70), Irene Pedrotti (70), Alice Bellandi (78), Giorgia Stangherlin (78), Asya Tavano (+78).
MEN:
Matteo Piras (66), Giovanni Esposito (73), Manuel Lombardo (73), Antonio Esposito (81), Giacomo Gamba (81), Nicholas Mungai (90), Christian Parlati (90), Gennaro Pirelli (100), Lorenzo Agro Sylvain (+100).
Photo: IJF
