Exactly 648 days remain before the opening of the judo events at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, yet the race for quota spots is already fierce at the World Judo Championships in Baku, where maximum qualification points are on the line. For the Austrian national team, head coach Yvonne Snir-Bönisch leads a squad of six athletes into the championships in Azerbaijan, featuring two contrasting medal contenders in the women’s divisions: Michaela Polleres in the under-70 kg category and Lubjana Piovesana in the under-63 kg category.
Championship Stakes in Baku and the Road to Los Angeles
The tournament in Baku represents a critical checkpoint on the Olympic qualification pathway, offering the highest tier of ranking points available outside of the Games themselves. Austria has dispatched six competitors across individual and mixed categories to the world championships. Alongside Polleres and Piovesana, the roster includes Thomas Scharfetter in the under-90 kg class, Elena Dengg in the under-78 kg division, Maria Höllwart in the over-78 kg class, and Movli Borchashvili in the over-100 kg division. Head coach Snir-Bönisch oversees both the men’s and women’s programs in a combined role, managing a centralized training base in Linz that she describes as a close-knit family environment since taking charge in January 2021.
Michaela Polleres Brings Calm Experience to the Mat
Following the Paris Olympics, the 29-year-old Lower Austrian took a deliberate mental and physical break, spending her time hiking, baking, and catching up with family before returning to competition in December. Coach Snir-Bönisch notes that the extended break fostered personal maturity, helping Polleres step naturally into a leadership role as athlete representative. After shaking off the rust of competitive routines and securing a victory at her home Grand Prix in Linz in March alongside subsequent podium finishes, Polleres arrives in Baku unseeded at number 13 in the world rankings but fully fit and aiming squarely for the podium.
Lubjana Piovesana Battles Tournament Anxiety with Psychological Support
In sharp contrast to Polleres’s serene demeanor, 29-year-old Lubjana Piovesana deals with intense pre-competition anxiety as she chases her first major international medal. Competing for Austria since 2021 following a lengthy switch from Great Britain, Piovesana has battled severe nerves that occasionally trigger panic attacks, compounded last year by injuries and the sudden death of her brother. Coach Snir-Bönisch points out that the athlete frequently places excessive pressure on herself, leading to tactical errors during critical exchanges. To counter this, Piovesana has integrated sports psychology sessions into her training regimen, a move that has stabilized her consistency on the tour this season with podium finishes at Grand Prix stops, though she enters Baku ranked 12th in the world.
Schedule and Broadcast Details for Austrian Competitors
Both leading Austrian hopefuls enter the tournament looking to reverse a stretch of back-to-back medal shutouts at previous world championships. Lubjana Piovesana begins her campaign in the under-63 kg category on Wednesday, while Michaela Polleres takes to the tatami in the under-70 kg division on Thursday, with blocks scheduled to start daily at 16:00 local time and broadcast live via ORF Sport+ in Austria.
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