Less than 240 days before the Paris Olympics, the Sud Arena Montpellier and its 8,500 spectators expected each day will experience, from Friday to Sunday, a European Championship which will have everything to remind Paris 2024. Because there will be Ukrainians and Russians under neutral banner, a team of refugees; and obviously, and above all, because this Euro will weigh in the selection process of France, as of each of…
Less than 240 days before the Paris Olympics, the Sud Arena Montpellier and its 8,500 spectators expected each day will experience, from Friday to Sunday, a European Championship which will have everything to remind Paris 2024. Because there will be Ukrainians and Russians under neutral banner, a team of refugees; and obviously, and above all, because this Euro will weigh in the selection process of France, as of each of the 41 nations represented for Paris. In the contested categories, the Federation sent two judokas, one in the others.
A solo or a duo
“Part of the French selection could be announced immediately after the championship,” recalled Romane Dicko (+78 kg) to the press. Clarisse Agbegnenou, world queen of -63 kg, but also Shirine Boukli (-48), Amandine Buchard (-52) and Sarah-Léonie Cysique (-57), will open the ball this Friday, with the title and the selection in sight. This would also have been the case for Teddy Riner, but he skipped it.
“The selections for the Games can fall here, at the latest in February at the Grand Slam in Paris”
For Dicko, three-time European champion and bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, we will perhaps have to wait for the sequence of Grand Slams (Tokyo in December, Paris at the beginning of February 2024, or even the tournament which will replace that of Tel Aviv at the end of February ). Because Julie Tolofua, who had shoulder surgery in September and was absent in Montpellier, intends to return to Paris to defend her chances.
“Overall, Paris will count for a lot,” said Stéphane Nomis, president of the Federation, “because it is Paris, as for the Games, with a lot of press and public expectations. But Montpellier also counts, it’s a major championship, the last before the end of the selections, it’s different from international tournaments. »
However, the president did not rule out Montpellier being decisive in categories where competition is tough. This is the case for Marie-Eve Gahié and Margaux Pinot (-70) on Saturday, then Madeleine Malonga and Audrey Tcheuméo (-78) on Sunday. These four fight at a very high altitude, with, for example, Malonga’s Olympic silver in Tokyo, followed by Tcheuméo’s 2022 world title.
“They play an important card. The decision can fall if one wins the title and the other is out in the first round, states Stéphane Nomis. But if it’s 2nd and 3rd, it’s different. The idea is still not to decide too late, because we saw how exhausted Margaux arrived in Tokyo after fighting very late for her selection. After Paris, everything will have to be closed. »
Teddy Riner as spectator
From this Friday in -60 kg for the boys with “Luka Mkheidze, Romain Valadier, present here, and Cédric Revol, not selected but winner again last week of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Montpellier will also count. The pressure is on everyone, the place is expensive, nothing is written. »
Asked about the possible impact of the turbulence of recent months (1) on sporting results, such as fencing, the president is “not at all worried. The atmosphere is good, Teddy Riner will be there on Friday to support his friends. We are together even if there are disagreements. Our federation is solid, it was the first to open up to club coaches, who work with those of the federation. »
(1). Changes within the staff, Clarisse Agbegnenou’s kimono affair, who was refused a particular supplier unlike Teddy Riner, accusations of conflicts of interest against the president.
Programme
The championship will begin this Friday at 11 a.m., then at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday to end with the final blocks at 4 p.m. They are broadcast on the YouTube channel “europeanjudo” in the morning and on “La Chaîne L’Equipe” for the final blocks.
This first day, we expect a medal or a title from Shirine Boukli (2nd in the world, – 48 kg), Amandine Buchard (3rd, -52) and Sarah-Léonie Cysique (5th, but those ahead of her are not European.) Among the boys, Romain Valadier-Picard and Luka Mkheidze are not in the same half of the table in -60. In -66, Whalid Khyar has an easy first round, unlike Maxime Gobert immediately opposed to the Russian Yago Abuladze, 2021 world champion.
2023-11-03 04:34:37
#high #Olympic #pressure #French #European #Championship #Montpellier
