Oberhausen. The second division champions from the previous season waived the right to promotion and will start another season in the second division on Saturday. With a strengthened squad.
The men of the Holten judo team got in the mood for the upcoming season in the Judo Bundesliga with three joint boot camps in January, February and March. After the second division championship last season, which culminated in being voted Oberhausen Team of the Year, the JTH wants to attack at the top again this year.
The starting signal is given with a home fight: On Saturday, the JT Holten welcomes the judoka of the Sport-Union Witten-Annen. The fight starts in the Günther-Stolz-Halle at the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Gymnasium in Sterkrade at 2 p.m.
With this strengthened squad, the judo team starts the second league on Saturday. © Club | Association
“We want to play at the top and attack again this year,” says judo team head coach Holten Ralf Najdowski the Holten team’s objectives for the 2024 season. Therefore, the team has strengthened itself once again.
In the + 100 kg class competes Aliaksandr Vakhaviak from PSV Duisburg, a very experienced and internationally successful athlete for the JTH. The 36-year-old Belarusian was one of the medalists at the 2016 Grand Slams in Abu Dhabi and 2018 in Paris. Until 66 kg has been added Tobias Vogt. The 23-year-old industrial engineer recently celebrated promotion to the top league with his home club Osterather TV and took third place in the 2023 West German Championship.
JT Holten has positioned himself even more internationally
The Portuguese is also new to the team Manuel Baptista19 years old, and another Dutchman, Basile La Fontaine. 18-year-old La Fontaine comes from Maastricht, where he still goes to school. Nevertheless, he has already achieved impressive successes: He is the reigning Dutch champion -66kg for seniors; In 2023 he also secured a silver medal at the Dutch Open Espoir and a bronze at the European Cup in Berlin. He strengthens the JTH like Vogt in the -66 kg class.
Baptista is a student of econometrics and competes up to 81 kg. He won bronze at the Portuguese U18 championships in 2020. This means there are now more fighters available in important weight classes. This makes it easier to cope with absences due to illness.
Promoting youth should remain a focus
After taking first place in the 2nd Judo Bundesliga 2023, JT Holten was eligible for promotion and could have competed in the 1st league. “We didn’t take the decision lightly and looked at it very seriously and very intensively. Ultimately, despite the great financial support that we received after promotion and being voted Team of the Year, we decided against it because there was still not enough planning security over several years, as would have been necessary for the first league “The measure was given,” explains Najdowski. “But that doesn’t make us any less motivated. On the contrary. We will give our all on the mat again this season. We also don’t want to lose sight of young people. We also put a lot of energy and financial support into volunteer work here,” the chairman promises all Holten fans.
More: www.judo-team-holten.de
2024-03-13 12:41:46
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