The Swiss delegation concluded the Judo World Championships in Baku without a medal on Friday, after Daniel Eich was eliminated in the second round of the under-100 kg category by reigning European champion and world number one Giovanni Pirelli, srf.ch reported.
Baku Exit for Daniel Eich Against Top-Ranked Pirelli
Daniel Eich entered Friday’s competition as Switzerland’s final medal hope at the international tournament in Azerbaijan. The Aargau native opened his tournament with a victory over Cyprus competitor Georgios Kroussaniotakis. That early success set up a bout against Pirelli, where Eich ultimately fell short in the second elimination round.
Pirelli entered the matchup holding the top spot in the International Judo Federation world rankings alongside his European title credentials. The Italian competitor managed to halt Eich’s progress, leaving the Swiss squad empty-handed as the Baku championships wrapped up their schedule.
Marco Pfyl Ends Elite Artistic Gymnastics Career
Swiss artistic gymnastics said goodbye to veteran competitor Marco Pfyl on Friday as the 28-year-old from Schwyz announced his immediate retirement from elite sport. Pfyl pointed to persistent physical ailments as the deciding factor behind his departure from competitive gymnastics.
The specialist on the horizontal bar and parallel bars secured qualification for the world championships as recently as 2025. However, recurring shoulder and back trouble forced him to withdraw from multiple events over the course of the current season.
I had to accept that my body can no longer handle the strains necessary for elite sports,
Pfyl said in an official statement released by the national gymnastics federation.
