This week we take a closer look at the competitive sport of judo.
ST. PÖLTEN/KREMS/MAUTERN/WIESELBURG. When we enter the training hall, we are already training hard. Cara Gansch (Wieselburg), LEon Kaufmann (Krems) and Franzsika Schlögl (Mautern) are students at the St. Pölten Sports Performance Center (SLZ). They tell us about their sport.
Training from an early age
All three started judo very early. Franziska tells
“I’ve been doing judo since I was five years old. I got into the sport through my father. He is a coach himself and my brothers also do judo.”
It’s similar with Leon. His father is also a trainer and he has been training since he was three years old. Cara joined the judo club through school at the age of six: “They introduced themselves to us at school back then.”
What do you like best about judo?
“The individual sport and when you fight for yourself in competition,” reveals Franziska. “I like traveling around a lot, fighting against other opponents and fighting in general,” says Leon. “You do the sport alone and everyone has respect for each other. Nobody is excluded,” says Cara.
How does judo differ from other martial arts?
Leon explains it like this: “The difference is that we don’t have any punches or kicks. Judo is called “The Gentle Way” and there are many rules that ensure that you don’t get injured in this sport.”
Your greatest successes?
“My greatest successes so far have been becoming Austrian champions twice and winning several international tournaments,” said Leon. “In 2022, two European Cups U18, so I also qualified for the World Cup and came second. This year I took third place in the European Cup,” says Franziska, happy about her successes. Cara hasn’t been in the fight scene for that long and hasn’t had that many successes yet: “But I was at the state championships and came third there and I’ve already become national champion.”
This might also interest you
Ballet dance is real art
The gymnasts show what they can do
2023-10-17 04:20:11
#Sports #Performance #Center #Austria #Today #diving #world #judo
