Anna-Maria Wagner Triumphs as Judo World Champion and Secures Olympic Ticket

Anna-Maria Wagner clutched her gold medal with her right hand, tears rolled down the face of the new judo world champion during the national anthem.

“I’m so happy to have won five fights. I can’t even believe it yet,” said Wagner. “I knew that if I stayed focused, I would pull this thing off today.”

The relief was palpable for the Ravensburger. The Tote Hosen classic “An Tagen wie diesen”, which the organizers played in Abu Dhabi after the award ceremony, fit perfectly.

The 28-year-old not only secured her second world championship title after 2021 on Wednesday, but also secured her Olympic ticket in the high-class German duel with two-time European champion Alina Böhm in the weight class up to 78 kg.

National coach praises Wagner

Women’s national coach Claudiu Pusa was full of praise for Wagner: “She was focused, confident and showed no weakness. She was ready to win.”

Wagner, Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo three years ago, went into the World Championships in the Persian Gulf third in the Olympic world rankings, while Böhm was fifth.

Unlike the World Cup, which concludes the qualifying phase, only one starter per nation is allowed at the Summer Games in Paris (26 July to 11 August).

Böhm, who would have needed gold for her ticket to Paris, lost her second fight on Wednesday. For Eduard Trippel and Giovanna Scoccimarro, the opening fight was already the end of the line.

Two World Cup medals for the German Judo Association

Wagner, on the other hand, needed only 32 seconds to win against Ange Ciella Niragira from Burundi, before she defeated Olympic champion Shori Hamada thanks to three penalties from the Japanese.

Two more quick victories followed before Wagner had to go into overtime in the final – and secured the decision with a running choke.

The German Judo Federation now has two medals under its belt in Abu Dhabi, with Mascha Ballhaus winning bronze in the 52 kg class at the start on Sunday.

The last individual competitions will take place on Thursday, and on Friday it will be about medals in the mixed team competition, which has been Olympic since 2021.

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2024-05-22 19:15:08
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