Second day of Euro judo this Friday in Zagreb. Who are the French judokas to follow? Focus on Joan-Benjamin Gaba (-73kg) and Alpha Oumar Djalo (-81kg) who are three months before the Olympic Games and Margaux Pinot (-70kg) beaten in the race for the Olympics but full of confidence.
-73kg: Joan-Benjamin Gaba to gain confidence
Joan-Benjamin Gaba is not the type to hide her feelings. When things are going well, we know it, when things are going less well, the judoka from Chilly-Mazarin Morangis says it too. For now, he is not satisfied with his senior career. His marshal stick is a victory over the Japanese Soichi Hashimoto at the 2023 World Championships in the team event. Individually, a distant bronze medal at the Portugal 2022 tournament. Gaba is the lowest ranked Frenchman called to the Olympics for the moment. He is 43rd in the world under 73 kilos. He has until June 23 to try to improve his ranking. This involves this Euro then the world championship in May in Abu Dhabi. Jumping up the rankings is possible, being seeded is not. A string of fights and victories would put the 23-year-old judoka in a spiral of confidence. On Sunday, he will also have the team event, where he is often very good, to capitalize. He is working on his ability to bring down more as he fights long judo fights like middle-distance events. Don’t count on him to give up. Orlando Cazorla will be the other called up for this Euro in less than 73 kilos.
-81kg: Alpha Oumar Djalo on the upward slope?
The draw did not do Alpha Oumar Djalo any favors. The Parisian begins his Euro with the Greek Demourtsidis before a shock against the Baba Yaga of less than 81 kilos, the Georgian Tato Grigalashvili, double world champion. Last year in Montpellier during the Euro, he catapulted the Frenchman on his back. Djalo has already beaten the bearded man from Tbilisi. This will be an excellent indicator of where the Frenchman stands. He remains in three competitions in a row without a medal, including two first rounds. He knows very well that the objective is not in the spring but this summer in Paris. “I think I’m going to go back up now,” he says. “Start going back up now, I’m in good timing.” Like Gaba he will double with the Worlds next month, the opportunity to collect good points even if the seeded place now seems out of reach. Straddling 2022 and 2023, Djalo had completed four major competitions with a medal at the end of the day. His bleeding judo is capable of working wonders. In Montpellier, his tears upon announcing his bronze victory became an internet meme. Shall we start again?
-70kg: Pinot for big things
It is surely the mark of experience, of maturity. At 30 years old, Margaux Pinot did not long suffer the blow of seeing Marie-Eve Gahié steal the Olympic ticket in the under 70 kilos category. A little fresh air during an internship abroad reinvigorated him for a bronze medal in Paris then a silver in Uzbekistan at the end of beautiful days full of judo. The PSG licensee is happy in her judo: “I worked a lot on my postures, staying straight, staying straight in the face of aggression,” she explains. “It helps to make other movements, to open up more, to “have other opportunities. I found the ground, it’s been years since I had scored on the ground. It’s a judo where I have fun.” Already a four-time European medalist including two titles, Pinot can complete a fine collection. Watch out for a possible quarter-final against the Greek Teltsidou, her winner at the 2020 Olympics. A very physical judoka. Pinot worked on this kind of profile. She already knows that she will be competing at the Worlds in May where she will do better than her two bronze medals. Even absent from the Olympics, her year 2024 can be very big if she reaches these two podiums.
2024-04-25 19:15:41
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