The European Youth Games for athletes aged 14 to 18 have been held every two years since 1991. A total of 3,600 athletes and officials from 48 countries travel to Slovenia for the event. Team D is represented with a total of 109 athletes in ten sports, basketball, handball, judo, artistic gymnastics, athletics, cycling, swimming, skateboarding, tennis and volleyball.
Around a year before the Summer Olympics in Paris, there is a real foretaste of exciting sporting competitions under the well-known Olympic principles of fair play, tolerance and friendship.
“The EYOF stand for the connecting and international understanding power of sport. All young athletes will want to perform at their best. The number of medals won will not play a major role for us. In particular, the focus is on gaining valuable experience on the international stage and making friends with athletes from other nations. If the event ultimately motivates young athletes for a longer-term career in competitive sports and we might see some of them again later at the Youth Olympic Games or Olympic Games, we have achieved a lot by participating in Maribor,” says Patrizia Wittich, head of the team’s mission D
12 athletes are nominated for the judo team, six women and six men. “Many of them are German champions, some of them have already won medals at the European Championships or have placed themselves,” says U18 national coach Christopher Schwarzer, outlining the successes of his protégés. Among other things, Odalis Santiago Santana travels as Vice European Champion. “The expectations are pretty high, we’re going to Maribor with the best team.” Only one athlete per nation is allowed to start in each weight class. “It might be a bit easier for some weight classes, but at the end of the day you have to beat all the good guys if you want to be at the top,” says Christopher Schwarzer. The national teams have prepared well for the European Championships and now also for the EYOF. “We trained together with France, Switzerland and Luxembourg. I’m going home in good spirits from the preparation and I think we’ll also deliver a successful EYOF after the European Championships.”
The athletes start for the German Judo Federation:
Women:
-48 kg: Klara Erten – Soester TV -48 kg: Tabea Mecklenburg – UJKC Potsdam -57 kg: Odalis Santiago Santana – FC Schweitkirchen -63 kg: Lea-Marie Wallenhorst – Judo Giants Ibbenbüren -70 kg: Alica Thiele – UJKC Potsdam + 70 kg: Peppa Plöhnert – SV Halle
Men:
– 60 kg: Jonas Orlandea – TH Eilbeck -66 kg: Yuichi Yokoyama – JC71 Düsseldorf -73 kg: Josef Ivtchenko – SSF Bonn -81 kg: Anton Popp – TSV Erbach -90 kg: Leandro De Luca – Judozentrum Heubach +90 kg: Christian Wilhelm – Judo Team Hanover
The judo competitions will take place from 25.-29. July instead. Mixed team competitions are also held here on the last day. “Hopefully we will reward ourselves with a mixed team medal on the last day of the judo competition,” hopes Christopher Schwarzer.
2023-07-12 22:56:17
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