hasn’t lost in 12 meetings – Corriere.it

In judo, Italy won four gold medals at the Games, the first brought by the very Brescian signature of Ezio Gamba, with his son Giacomo who is trying to follow in his footsteps (difficult undertaking, because his father was one of the greatest in our sport). But no blue judoka, not even in the more recent past with Fabio Basile and Odette Giuffrida, the purest talents of the last generation, has ever given the idea of be able to dominate their weight category: proof of this that the former has now changed her and the latter, although strong in a silver in Rio and a bronze in Tokyo which brought her to the Olympus of the greatest, has missed the appointment with the gold in five circles.

Alice Bellandi, DOC Bresciana from Roncadelle24 years old and an edition of the Games (bitter, with a semifinal stolen by the refereeing direction) already in the curriculum, is instead managing to dominate the 78 kg category, to which she passed after the Olympics following a very tormented personal story, who confessed for the first time on these pages in the autumn of 2020. The bulimia behind her, the problems with the scale that undermined her physical and mental health were forgotten in the transition to a different weight category from those 70 kg which were his natural habitat in multiple victories as a junior, before becoming a senior. Before becoming a woman.

Now the Bresciana is number one in the world: the world ranking certifies it, an objective fact, determined by the latest results achieved. On Sunday, in Tel Aviv, Bellandi won his second Grand Slam tournament (system similar to tennis), after the one in Budapest last summer and the most important affirmation, in December, at the Jerusalem Masters. Alice doesn’t just win anymore, she dominates the tournaments that take place in a single day: in Israel she has pinned opponents one after the other. A domain at the Tomb: undefeated in twelve fights and the best is yet to come.