Please note: the website is undergoing a
total redesign
that will take a few months
26th
February 2008 - Hamburg Otto Super World Cup - Paischer scores the ippon
of his life. On the first day of the annual Hamburg Tournament
Ludwig Paischer of Austria threw three time Olympic champion and
Japanese hero, Tadahiro Nomura, for ippon with a leg sweep in
the 60kgs final on the left. The leading European 60kgs qualifier for
Beijing, Craig Fallon GBR, was not on form and went out in his
second match to the little known Gkornteev of Greece who then
lost his next match. Ruben Houkes NED, Rio 60kgs world
champion, did not participate having won bronze at the Paris
Tournament two weeks earlier. On the final day (Sunday) Japan suffered
a further devastating upset when
Benjamin Behrla of Germany
threw current heavyweight Olympic champion and 2005 world champion, Keiji Suzuki of
Japan, for ippon in the 100kgs division while his heavyweight team
mate Yasuyuki Muneta was beating the extraordinary 18 year old
world champion, Teddy Riner of France, nicknamed Teddy Bear by
the girls, on the adjoining mat in
the o100kgs category.
Unfortunately the Behrla throw was not caught on camera. In the 100kgs
semi final Behrla threw Elco Van der Geest NED for ippon to reach the
final against Henk Grol, the other Dutchman in the category.
Henk Grol NED defeated Benjamin Behrla by ippon in the final. Full web
pages will follow. On the Saturday, Great Britain saved face when
Sally Conway won silver in the 70kgs division. On the top right
she is seen celebrating her victory after throwing Yulia Kuzina
of Russia for ippon in the quarter final and on the bottom right
throwing Shumei Dou of China for wazari in the semi-final. A report
from the British perspective is at this page LINK. David Finch
19th February
- 2008VIENNA WORLD CUP -
Gold rush for Fallon
Craig Fallon continued his gold medal winning form at the 2008 Vienna
World Cup this weekend, taking the top spot in the –60kg weight category. The
former World and European Champion, seen here at the 2006 Tampere Europeans
where he took the title, has won gold in the last four tournaments he
has entered, starting with the GB World Cup last September, as well as the Baku
World Cup in October, and the 2007 Swedish Open in November. Gold was a fantastic result for Fallon, who sustained a shoulder injury in
January, and was unable to compete earlier in the year. He now sits number one
in the European Olympic rankings in the –60kg weight category. In his pool
Fallon beat Valtteri Jokinen of Finland by waza-ari, and then
Andreas Krassas of Cyprus by the maximum ippon score. Next in a controlled match
against Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia he finished by a koka up, the result of a
penalty against his opponent. He won his pool after overwhelming Elio Verde of
Italy by ippon after just two minutes..........
Read the full Emma Griffin
report at this PAGE LINK including the latest British player rankings for the
European Olympic Qualifications criteria for Beijing
19th
February - Of all the 300 or so British athletes preparing for Beijing,
there is one whose name is likely to keep popping up in Olympic
circles over the next few months.Euan
Burton (Seen here at last week's Paris Tournament clapping the
supportive French audience after winning the 81kgs bronze medal)
has just enjoyed the finest year of his career on the judo mat,
winning bronze medals at both the world and European championships.
But it is the 28-year-old's link-up with the British Olympic
Association's elite performance director Sir Clive Woodward
that has thrust him into the spotlight. Burton recently began working
with a hand-picked team of experts on what Woodward hopes will become
an established performance programme for Britain's Olympians in the
build-up to London 2012.......................
Read the full
BBC article at this LINK and
Euan's BBC blog at this LINK
15th February 2008 International Judo
Federation (IJF) considers axing koka from
scoring systemThe
Yomiuri ShimbunPARIS--The
International Judo Federation will
consider a proposal to eliminate the koka from the scoring system,
while also making a wrestling-like tackle illegal, it was learned
Wednesday. The federation will propose at its executive council
meeting on March 6 that the koka, the lowest of the four levels of
scoring, be eliminated, with the new rule possibly coming into effect
in time for the Beijing Olympics. Currently, there are four levels of
scoring--koka, yuko, waza-ari and ippon--depending on what part of the
body hits the mat when thrown by an opponent. But there is no firm
criteria for distinguishing between them. By eliminating the koka, it
is believed that judges will be able to demarcate the differences
better. Japan, which emphasizes traditional judo with its big throws,
has recently been hard-pressed to match the European style of building
up points with small techniques such as the wrestling tackle. Under
the proposed rule, the competitor will no longer be able to execute
such a move without first grabbing the opponent's uniform. In
addition, a judges' decision will again be used to break ties. If all
three are in agreement, the match will end; if not, then the match
will continue in a sudden-death overtime format. While Japan welcomes
the rule changes, some officials expressed concern that this summer's
Olympics may be too soon to introduce them.
3rd February 2008 Rousey wins bronze at Belgian Ladies Open today -
World silver medalist Ronda Rousey (RIGHT - Wakefield,
Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE)won a bronze medal in the 70kg
division on Sunday at the Belgian Ladies’ Open, a B-Level Point Tournament in
Arlon. In a
unique format, players had to place in the top two of a three or four-person
pool in order to advance to the main draw. Unlike in most international events,
a loss in the draw means that the loser only gets carried through to the
repecharge if the player she loses to advances to the final. Rousey, who turned 21-years-old on Friday, fought Samantha Lowe (GBR) in
the first round, pinning Lowe for ippon (instant win). Rousey and the 2007
Belgian Ladies’ Champion Haruka Tachimoto (JPN) fought next, tying the
match at the end of the five-minute period. Due to the tournament format, the
match did not go into overtime, but since Tachimoto and Rousey both beat Lowe by
ippon, the two had to fight a second match to determine seeding in the main
draw.......
3rd
February 2008 -
Headcorn Judo Club is now in a brand new circa
£1.25m village hall with new mats and, at the moment, two classes a
week for juniors and seniors. Head coach and former British
international Richard Armstrong, in the blue judogi on the left
and originally from Pinewood Judo Club, is assisted by John Meyer.
John used to train at the Budokwai under 1981 world champions,
Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki from Japan and Neil Adams along with other
Budokwai coaches. If you are in the Southeast and want to train or
practice at the club contact Richard Armstrong on 01622 891526
or email him at
RichardandJane@aol.com.
Further pictures can be seen at this page LINK
31st
January 2008 NEW YORK - OPEN $1000 GOLD MEDAL PRIZES.
On March 9, The New York
Athletic Club will welcome the 25th Annual New York Open
Judo Championship. Regarded as one of the premier judo tournaments in
the United States, this prestigious event is expected to attract some
of the best judoists from around the world.
The New York Open Judo Championship
is an international "B" level event held annually each spring for men
only and is sanctioned by USA Judo.
Competitions will be held in seven different weight classes: 132
(60kgs), 145 (66kgs), 161 (73kgs), 178 (81kgs), 198 (90kgs), 220
(100kgs), and 220+ lbs (o100kgs). First-place winners receive
$1,000, while (one) second-place and (two) third-place winners are
also awarded prize money. The discipline of Judo is a
Japanese martial art and combat sport that originated in Japan in the
late nineteenth century and debuted as an official Olympic sport in
1964.
The New York Open is expected to attract
competitors from countries such as Brazil, Canada, Chile, France,
Germany, Great Britain, Haiti, Israel, Japan, Mongolia, Morocco, Peru,
Poland, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine, USA, and Uzbekistan.
For more information about the New York Open Judo
Championship, please visit the New York Open Judo Web site at
www.newyorkopenjudo.com.
28th
January 2008 - Tbilisi World Cup The final phase of
Olympic qualifiers kicked off over the weekend. The men were in
Georgia for the Tbilisi World Cup, a particularly tough first event as
the Eastern Europeans traditionally dominate. The calibre of
the event was particularly high, and with 4000 plus spectators
achieved an atmosphere usually expected at the Paris Super World Cup.
James Millar (left with his recent British
Closed gold medal), who was the only
competitor at –60kg, with Craig Fallon out due to a small
injury sustained in Mittersal, clinched a spectacular gold. Millar had
a fantastic run winning all his fights by ippon, and then although
down by a waza-ari in the final came back in the last minute to hold
down Pavel Petrikov of the Czech Republic for ippon. –60kg is
now Great Britain’s strongest weight category in the European rankings
with two players now sitting in the Olympic qualification zone.
Also defending 90kgs Olympic Champion Zurab Zviadauri (GEO),
returned to top level competition defeating Rio World Champion and
countryman, Irakli Tsirekidze GEO in the 90kgs final. Look out
for more confrontations in the run-up to Beijing as each has qualified
for the Games but only one can take part. Zviadauri, in a Finch photo,
is featured on the front cover of the Japanese edition of Strength &
Conditioning winning his Athens gold medal by ippon against Izumi JPN.
The full report from a British perspective and results can be read at
this page LINK
28th
January 2008 - WORLD Judo Champion Neil Adams
(left) spent two days at Bexhill Amateur Athletic Judo Club at
the weekend. During his time there he took both adults and juniors
through their paces showing them some of his expertise and skills in
various training sessions, giving them a taste of what world class
judo is all about. He also officially presented the club with it's
club 'Mark' award.
Neil became World Champion in 1981 when he won a Gold Medal at
the
World Championships (right) in Maastricht, he also won Silver Medals
at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
He said he was more than happy to donate his time to events such as
this adding: "It's all about promoting judo and making sure that we do
our best towards getting good results in 2012 and also the development
of judo throughout the country. We have great support here in Bexhill,
a lot of the youngsters that come here are from 12 different clubs in
the surrounding area - we do this sort of event all over the country.
Read the full
story at this page LINKCourtesy Rye & Battle
Observer
The British Judo
Association is delighted to announce it will be amongst the
beneficiaries of BingoLotto – a new TV game that will raise money for
sport and the voluntary sector .
BingoLotto will be a weekly game broadcast on digital TV channels
Virgin1 and Challenge. Tickets will be on sale from outlets around the
country and will allow viewers to take part in the BingoLotto game
from the comfort of their own homes, with a 1 in 9.5 chance of
winning. The BingoLotto game has run in Sweden since 1991 where
it has raised just under £1bn for charities and sports
organisations.....................
Read the full story at
this LINK and go to Latest News
20th
January 2008 - World Champion Cusack throwing
herself into developing talent
Heard the one about the English girl with Irish parents who won gold
for Scotland? Loretta Cusack(left with the gold medal at
the 1985 British Open) winces upon mention of her 1986 silver
medal, won four years before her Scottish success, under the auspices
of the Commonwealth Games Council for England. "It's a bad word on the
tongue," says the former judo champion of the land of her birth, whom
she represented the last time this country held the Games.
17th
January 2008 - Olson, at the age of 34, plans to go for his fourth
Olympic tourErnie Olson and his Olson plans to go for his fourth tour in Olympics
Originally published January 15wife, Liz, were expecting the call any day.
After all, their son Brian had been married for a couple of years. When he
called and said he had something to tell them, Ernie's first thought was that a
grandchild was on the way.
"No. I'm going for another Olympics," Brian told his dad.
The line got a little static. Brian couldn't hear his dad's response.
"Hello, hello, are you there?" Brian asked a few times.
Ernie, you heard every time — didn't you?
"I had to let it sink in," he said.
Brian - on the left winning a contest at the 1999 Munich
World Masters - had been playing judo for 28 years and his retirement
three years ago seemed fitting. He'd gone to three consecutive Olympics,
starting in 1996. One more certainly seemed out of the question.
He'd been unbeatable by any other American judo player in his weight class for
more than a decade. He was Woodville's first Olympian and all of America got to
know him after national television appearances.
He seemed destined for the kinds of residuals unheard of in a sport that's still
looking for its first pitchman................... Read
the full article on this page
or
at www.Tallahassee.Com
16th
JanuaryBOA announce full list of
recipients of the 2007 Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy
The British Olympic Association (BOA) today announced the full list of
recipients of the 2007 Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy and the Judo
recipient was Euan Burton
Introduced in 2005, to mark the BOA’s Centenary Year and the awarding
of the 2012 Olympic Games to London, the BOA presented a trophy to
each of the 35 Olympic Governing Bodies for them to award on an annual
basis to their top Olympic Athlete.
Judo
athlete Euan Barton commented: “I am delighted to receive the
Olympic Athlete of the Year Award. The last 12 months have been
fantastic for me, winning both a World and European medal, so it is
great to get recognition from the BOA in the form of this award. I
look forward to having another successful year as I head towards
Beijing”. See
the full results at this LINK
15th
January - Inoue knocks TV star, Aki Higashihara, off her feet
Judo athlete Kosei Inoue (29) is
getting married to TV announcer Aki Higashihara (25). They
announced their intended marriage today with a press conference at the
Kanagawa campus of Tokai University, Inoue's alma mater. As 3-time
world champion, his quarter-final defeat in Athens in 2004 to the
relatively unknown Dutchman, Elco Van der Geest, came as a huge
shock to fans in Japan and around the world at a time when he was
considered as unbeatable. Inoue and Higashihara started dating in 2004
after Higashihara interviewed him on a TV show following the Athens
Games. Last year, Inoue failed to clinch a spot at the Rio worlds for
this summer's Beijing Olympics but will be hoping to make the national
team with the support of his new bride. To do that, he needs to win
the national championships in April. Higashihara, who made her debut
in 2003 as a poster girl for Asahi Beer, made her name as an announcer
with Fuji TV. Inoue is still one of the world's most respected
fighters in the heavy and light heavyweight categories. In 2000, he
won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. David
Finch
14th
January Olympic success would be Lovell-y THOMAS Deacon Judo Club youngster William
Lovell (left with the gold medal at November's BJA Nationals) has
been fast-tracked to Olympic glory after being selected for the Great
Britain World Class Talent Squad. After fighting his way to the
British Championship for his age group back in October, 15 year-old
Lovell has found out his efforts have been rewarded with selection for
the elite group. The squad is being run by the British Judo
Association with a mandate to select for extra training only those
players who have a realistic chance of a medal at the London Olympics
in 2012.
9th
January - Coach thrown by royal recognition - Basil Dawkins is
congratulated by the Duke of Kent.
MOBERLY Judo Club celebrated
a prestigious accolade
for their coach by claiming a clutch of medals
at the national under-16 championships. Basil Dawkins, who
established the Kilburn-based club a decade ago, received a Torch
Trophy Trust award for voluntary work in sport from the Duke of Kent.
He was nominated by the British Judo Association and said: "It was
a great and extremely humbling occasion for me." And the Moberly
youngsters underlined the results of Dawkins' work as they won a total
of 10 medals to take third place in the tournament and finish above
local rivals Willesden for the first time.
John Jayne and Brandon Banton captured gold medals in
the 10-11 years' section, while Kyle Clarke-Harewood (12-13
years) and Ella Carter-Allen (14-15 years) also struck gold in
their respective age groups. There were silver medals in the 12-13
years' category for Moberly duo Reece Morgan and Ramon Alexander,
as well as David Logan (14-15 years). And bronze medals went to
Ross McCarthy (10-11 years), Aaron Turner and Adam
Conroy (both 14-15 years) and Kelly Alexander (16-17
years).
Printed with the kind permission of
WILLESDEN & BRENT TIMES Photo
by
George S Blonsky.
6th January
- IS WAZARI
ON THE WAY OUT?
Japan may have score to settle in judoThe Yomiuri Shimbun
- The International Judo
Federation is considering a
simplification of its judging criteria, a move that may make some judo
afficionados uncomfortable and will likely draw fire from Japan. It
was learned Wednesday that the IJF may remove the terms waza-ari and
koka from the international judo lexicon. "We cannot agree to this if
it means the essence of judo will change," an All Japan Judo
Federation official said. "We must
first have people understand the principles of judo such as why
waza-ari is different from ippon." Currently, four ranks of
scoring for throws--ippon, waza-ari, yuko and koka--are used in
international matches, but judoka and officials from the
European Judo Union and other bodies
have expressed dissatisfaction with the current rules, claiming that
the "judging concept is abstract." Throws are judged on the quality in
four technical categories including speed and force. An ippon requires
an opponent to be thrown on his back with considerable speed and
force. When one element of a throw is missing a waza-ari is awarded,
according to the IJF referee rules.
READ
THE FULL ARTICLE AT THIS LINK
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE EJU/IJF ALLIANCE
RECENTLY SENT TO JUDOPHOTOS.COM ".......That
is corresponding with recent changes in rules at the Open EC in
Poland: Without Koka, 2 Waza-aris weren't added to an ippon, 20
seconds osei-komi became already an ippon and the fights had only one
referee on the mat - the new EJU/IJF-alliance obviously tries to
change competition Judo." We'll
try and keep you posted with developments as they emerge. David Finch
2nd
January 2008 - Neil Adams MBE to coach at Kent Judo Club
World judo champion Neil Adams -
on the left coaching the USA and Welsh teams in Cardiff last July
- will bring to Bexhill the expert knowledge and technique that helped
him become a double Olympic medallist. Neil is probably Britain's best
known judoka whose achievements include a gold medal at the 1981 World
Championships in Maastricht, the Netherlands, as well as silver medals
in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and the 1983 Judo World championships.
He will be leading training sessions at Bexhill Amateur Athletic Judo
Club on January 25-26. The coaching event will start with a
session for seniors at 7.30pm on Friday evening, then Neil will come
in on Saturday for a session with juniors at 10.00am, followed by a
further senior class from 2.30pm.
Jason Meek of Bexhill AA said: "Neil Adams is probably our most
successful competitive judoka, or at least one of them. Recently I
have been inviting guest coaches to the club - to give everyone a
break from me - and Neil Adams is the ultimate as far as judo is
concerned. He is about the best you can get your hands on - he is very
good. I have done training sessions with him before and I would say he
is just several classes higher than anything we are likely to come
across." ..................... READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THIS LINK
- you will need to search for "Neil Adams".
Anyone interested in taking part in the
Neil Adams coaching event should contact Jason on 01424 214912.
December 22nd - YAMASHITA COACHING CHINESE TEAM FOR
BEIJING "DISPLEASES" PUTIN DURING ANNOUNCEMENT OF JOINT JUDO VIDEO AND
MORE PUTIN PUBLIC RELATIONS EXPOSURE-
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters)
- Russian President Vladimir Putin, a
black belt in judo, apparently has the time to contribute to a
textbook on the sport in addition to running the world's largest
country. The Kremlin leader said at the opening of a Toyota car plant
in his home town of St Petersburg he had helped make a video on the
sport along with a Japanese expert. "The two of us recorded a video
disc for a judo textbook," he told reporters. "I think it will go on
sale in January or February." He thanked Japanese judoka Yasuhiro
Yamasita for producing the manual in Russia, but was displeased to
learn that he was to coach the Chinese team at next year's Beijing
Olympics. "Say it's not so! Let him come here to coach our team," he
said. "Our Chinese friends will win everything now. They have home
advantage." .........................READ THE REUTERS ARTICLE AT THIS LINK
THE AP ARTICLE AT THIS LINK and
THE BBC STORY
AT THIS LINK
19th December 2007 A Tsar Is Born,
By
Adi Ignatius -
Time Online
No one is born with a stare like Vladimir Putin's. The Russian
President's pale blue eyes are so cool, so devoid of emotion that the
stare must have begun as an affect, the gesture of someone who
understood that power might be achieved by the suppression of ordinary
needs, like blinking. The affect is now seamless, which makes talking
to the Russian President not just exhausting but often chilling. It's
a gaze that says, I'm in charge........................Vladimir Putin
gives a first impression of contained power: he is compact and moves
stiffly but efficiently. He is fit, thanks to years spent honing his
black-belt judo skills and, these days, early-morning swims of an hour
or more. And while he is diminutive—5 ft. 6 in. (about 1.7 m) seems a
reasonable guess—he projects steely confidence and strength. Putin is
unmistakably Russian, with chiseled facial features and those
penetrating eyes. Charm is not part of his presentation of self—he
makes no effort to be ingratiating
READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THIS LINK
13th
December 2007 - Ze'evi, Yekutial miss Israeli
championships The Israeli
Judo Championships on Wednesday were
overshadowed by the absence of the country's two top judokas Arik
Ze'evi and Gal Yekutial. The two are recovering from long term
injuries and decided not to risk re-injuring themselves ahead of the
Olympic year. "I'm back in training, but decided with my coach that I
should save myself for the important competitions," Ze'evi said on
Wednesday. Ori Shushan claimed the gold medal in
Ze'evi's under 100 kilogram category, defeating Gregory Rodlson in the
final. In the women's competition, Tania Simantov and Alice Shlesinger
claimed
gold
medals once more, winning in the
under 48kg and under 70kg categories respectively.
THE JERUSALEM POST
9th
November 2007 - Putin could have made great career in judo, his first
coach, Anatoly Rakhin, says
(Courtesy of
PRAVDA.Ru)
A film based on the book Judo with Vladimir Putin co-authored by
Vladimir Putin and his first
judo coach Anatoly Rakhlin has
been recently shot in St. Petersburg. The question is: What kind of a
judoist is Putin? Komsomolskaya Pravda put this question to Putin’s
first and only coach.
A short boy enrolled in a usual martial arts club in
the outskirts of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1965. The boy was
called Vladimir Putin. He was 13 at the time. There was nothing
special about the boy. “He was like, a regular judo student back then.
It’s pure coincidence that he got enrolled in my
group. He just turned up in our modest-looking gym. He wasn’t seeking
out anything special at the time,” said Anatoly Rakhlin, Putin’s first
judo teacher.
Putin began sambo (a Soviet martial art developed for the Red Army and
the NKVD) before switching to
judo. That is when
Putin’s talent for martial arts began to show. “He was known for his
extraordinary endurance. And he was pretty
unpredictable when fighting. He’d win a fight by using some sudden
throw against his opponent,” Rakhlin said. “He was good at throwing
his opponents both left and right though judoists usually hurl their
opponents to one side only. All in all, he was a rather emotional type
of wrestler, compared to the guys who mostly rely on their physical
force,” Rakhlin added. (seen on the right at the 2003 Haarlem European
Club Championships)
At the beginning, Putin’s parents
were a bit suspicious of their son’s avid interest in judo. One of the
passages in Putin’s autobiography, First Person, mentions the
situation: “My parents first thought that I was gaining some negative
experience, which would be used in a backstreet fight or something of
the kind. They apparently thought that my judo
classes would get me into trouble in the end. That is why they had a
few misgivings about my judo club. Once they met my coach, who started
visiting our house quite regularly, their attitude changed.”
.......With the permission of
Pravada.Ru Read the full story and
a 2004 review of the original book on this website at this page LINK.
22nd
October Undoubtedly the best and in some parts the most
hilarious Judo book ever! Some reviews from Amazon:
(1) Mr Law's book is an inspiration. From
a slob who ate and drank too much for his own good he became a lean,
mean fighting machine, a force for good not bad. In Britain and abroad
he studied the Masters of Judo. He learned wisdom and implacable
hostility towards bullies and bad people generally. By the end Law is
almost a Knight. I am so impressed that I intend to take up judo
myself although my children say I am 'past it' at 56. Law says
you are never too old. I agree. By Mahmoud
(london) (2) An amazing book that
describes the transformation of Mark Law from the proverbial
'nine stone weakling' to a man able and willing to face down anyone.
it can be read on many levels. as a keep fit guide. as a no nonsense
guide to stopping smoking and eating healthily. as the awakening of a
middle aged man to what life can hold in store if he lets himself be
true to himself. as satire. as a deeply philosophical treatise on East
versus West. as the ultimate answer to those who say we should turn
the other cheek when insulted. no finer book on judo exists. I
doubt there is any finer work on sport as a path to truth. I give
this five stars with no hesitation. By Rod
(bradford) See
professional reviews on the website at this LINK
ANIMATED
LINKS AND BANNER TO THIS SITE FOR WEBMASTERS
If you are a webmaster then either of
these animated gif files can be used on your site to link to this site.
Please feel free to copy one or both and insert them into your site. Both
were prepared by Jack
Mah
of Kotamedia at
www.kotamedia.com. Jack runs
the British Columbia Judo site at www.judobc.ca
and Burnaby Judo Club site at
www.burnabyjudoclub.ca. That is besides many other highly professional
sites.
The sequence on the left shows Nicolas Gill of Canada using kata-guruma at
the 1995 Tokyo World Championships. At the Sydney Olympics he was second
to Inoue of Japan when Inoue was absolutely unbeatable.
26th
February 2008 - Hamburg Otto Super World Cup -
Paischer scores the ippon
of his life. On the first day of the annual Hamburg Tournament
Ludwig Paischer of Austria threw three time Olympic champion and
Japanese hero, Tadahiro Nomura, for ippon with a leg sweep in
the 60kgs final on the left. The leading European 60kgs qualifier for
Beijing, Craig Fallon GBR, was not on form and went out in his
second match to the little known Gkornteev of Greece who then
lost his next match. Ruben Houkes NED, Rio 60kgs world
champion, did not participate having won bronze at the Paris
Tournament two weeks earlier. On the final day (Sunday) Japan suffered
a further devastating upset when
Benjamin Behrla of Germany
threw current heavyweight Olympic champion and 2005 world champion, Keiji Suzuki of
Japan, for ippon in the 100kgs division while his heavyweight team
mate Yasuyuki Muneta was
beating the extraordinary 18 year old
world champion, Teddy Riner of France, nicknamed Teddy Bear by
the girls, on the adjoining mat in
the o100kgs category.
Unfortunately the Behrla throw was not caught on camera. In the 100kgs
semi final Behrla threw Elco Van der Geest NED for ippon to reach the
final against Henk Grol, the other Dutchman in the category.
Henk Grol NED defeated Benjamin Behrla by ippon in the final. Full web
pages will follow. On the Saturday, Great Britain saved face when
Sally Conway won silver in the 70kgs division. On the top right
she is seen celebrating her victory after throwing Yulia Kuzina
of Russia for ippon in the quarter final and on the bottom right
throwing Shumei Dou of China for wazari in the semi-final. 
19th
February - Of all the 300 or so British athletes preparing for Beijing,
there is one whose name is likely to keep popping up in Olympic
circles over the next few months. Euan
Burton (Seen here at last week's Paris Tournament clapping the
supportive French audience after winning the 81kgs bronze medal)
has just enjoyed the finest year of his career on the judo mat,
winning bronze medals at both the world and European championships.
But it is the 28-year-old's link-up with the British Olympic
Association's elite performance director Sir Clive Woodward
that has thrust him into the spotlight. Burton recently began working
with a hand-picked team of experts on what Woodward hopes will become
an established performance programme for Britain's Olympians in the
build-up to London 2012.......................
60.jpg)
28th
January 2008 - Tbilisi World Cup The final phase of
Olympic qualifiers kicked off over the weekend. The men were in
Georgia for the Tbilisi World Cup, a particularly tough first event as
the Eastern Europeans traditionally dominate. The calibre ofl.jpg)
the event was particularly high, and with 4000 plus spectators
achieved an atmosphere usually expected at the Paris Super World Cup.
James Millar (left with his recent British
Closed gold medal), who was the only
competitor at –60kg, with Craig Fallon out due to a small
injury sustained in Mittersal, clinched a spectacular gold. Millar had
a fantastic run winning all his fights by ippon, and then although
down by a waza-ari in the final came back in the last minute to hold
down Pavel Petrikov of the Czech Republic for ippon. –60kg is
now Great Britain’s strongest weight category in the European rankings
with two players now sitting in the Olympic qualification zone.
28th
January 2008 - WORLD Judo Champion Neil Adams
(left) spent two days at Bexhill Amateur Athletic Judo Club at
the weekend. During his time there he took both adults and juniors
through their paces showing them some of his expertise and skills in
various training sessions, giving them a taste of what world class
judo is all about. He also officially presented the club with it's
club 'Mark' award.
World Championships (right) in Maastricht, he also won Silver Medals
at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
25th
January 2008 -
16th
January BOA announce full list of
recipients of the 2007 Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy
15th
January - Inoue knocks TV star, Aki Higashihara, off her feet
Judo athlete Kosei Inoue (29) is
getting married to TV announcer Aki Higashihara (25). They
announced their intended marriage today with a press conference at the
Kanagawa campus of Tokai University, Inoue's alma mater. As 3-time
world champion, his quarter-final defeat in Athens in 2004 to the
relatively unknown Dutchman, Elco Van der Geest, came as a huge
shock to fans in Japan and around the world at a time when he was
considered as unbeatable. Inoue and Higashihara started dating in 2004
after Higashihara interviewed him on a TV show following the Athens
Games. Last year, Inoue failed to clinch a spot at the Rio worlds for
this summer's Beijing Olympics but will be hoping to make the national
team with the support of his new bride. To do that, he needs to win
the national championships in April. Higashihara, who made her debut
in 2003 as a poster girl for Asahi Beer, made her name as an announcer
with Fuji TV. Inoue is still one of the world's most respected
fighters in the heavy and light heavyweight categories. In 2000, he
won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. David
Finch
for their coach by claiming a clutch of medals
at the national under-16 championships. Basil Dawkins, who
established the Kilburn-based club a decade ago, received a Torch
Trophy Trust award for voluntary work in sport from the Duke of Kent.
He was nominated by the British Judo Association and said: "It was
a great and extremely humbling occasion for me." And the Moberly
youngsters underlined the results of Dawkins' work as they won a total
of 10 medals to take third place in the tournament and finish above
local rivals Willesden for the first time.
John Jayne and Brandon Banton captured gold medals in
the 10-11 years' section, while Kyle Clarke-Harewood (12-13
years) and Ella Carter-Allen (14-15 years) also struck gold in
their respective age groups. There were silver medals in the 12-13
years' category for Moberly duo Reece Morgan and Ramon Alexander,
as well as David Logan (14-15 years). And bronze medals went to
Ross McCarthy (10-11 years), Aaron Turner and Adam
Conroy (both 14-15 years) and Kelly Alexander (16-17
years). 
black belt in judo, apparently has the time to contribute to a
textbook on the sport in addition to running the world's largest
country. The Kremlin leader said at the opening of a Toyota car plant
in his home town of St Petersburg he had helped make a video on the
sport along with a Japanese expert. "The two of us recorded a video
disc for a judo textbook," he told reporters. "I think it will go on
sale in January or February." He thanked Japanese judoka Yasuhiro
Yamasita for producing the manual in Russia, but was displeased to
learn that he was to coach the Chinese team at next year's Beijing
Olympics. "Say it's not so! Let him come here to coach our team," he
said. "Our Chinese friends will win everything now. They have home
advantage." .........................
13th
December 2007 - Ze'evi, Yekutial miss Israeli
Mah
of Kotamedia at
