Gold in Paris. Judoka Matthias Casse would like to make it happen at the Olympic Games in six months’ time, but he already did it at the dress rehearsal on Saturday. The number one in the category up to 81 kilograms won the prestigious Grand Slam in the French capital.
Maxime Caeyman, Maarten Delvaux
Source: BELGAToday at 11:29
The Grand Slam of Paris is – after the major championships – one of the absolute top tournaments of the year. In the category up to 81 kilograms, where Matthias Casse is number one, six judokas from the top ten and thirteen from the top twenty of the world ranking were present. Just to say: our compatriot got a nice foretaste in the French capital of what will await him in six months’ time near the Eifel Tower. And Casse did a great job. For the second time in his career he took gold from Paris. A total of five Grand Slams are on his list of honors, including twice Paris, Abu Dhabi (2021), Tel Aviv (2022) and Antalya (2023).
“This year the field of participants was incredibly strong,” Casse reflected with satisfaction. “There were only world-class judokas. And I’m happy that I won. Paris hosts the Olympic Games. It’s an Olympic year. So it feels good to win here. Moreover, there were many Belgians in the stands.”
© REUTERS
In the final of the 81 kilogram class he defeated the Azerbaijani Zelim Tckaev with a golden score. After one minute and twenty seconds, the world number one defeated his opponent ranked eleven places lower with a beautiful ippon. “I’m glad I was able to finish it with a nice movement. I had never fought Tckaev competitively, but we had sparred in training. He is a top judoka. It wasn’t my intention to win like that. The grip was special, because I usually try to sit on the inside. It was an instinctive reaction that allowed me to finish. I’m not one hundred percent satisfied with this fight, but it’s good that I had it. It gives me valuable clues for the future.”
The world number one needed a golden score in four of his five matches. “And so it became quite a tough day. It wasn’t easy to get into my routine, to find my rhythm. I came up against tough opponents and had difficult battles. Also against some people I had never fought against before. That always takes some exploring. Good thing I was able to hold them for the Games. I’ve seen a lot of young guys in general. That is the new generation that is emerging and has also sent a large part of the old guard home. That makes it exciting for the future.”
The Grand Slam in Paris was Casse’s first of four tournaments before the Olympic Games in Paris, where he also hopes to win gold. “From Monday I will stay here on an internship until Thursday. I want to catch up with the judokas that I missed during the competition and also train hard. This will be followed by the Grand Slam of Tashkent in Uzbekistan at the beginning of March. “I was seriously injured here in Paris, both in my face and on my shin. I’ll definitely still feel that, but it’s nothing serious. That will be over soon.”
With his victory in the Grand Slam in Paris, he also does well in view of his ranking as number one in the world in the class up to 81 kilograms, which is important for a favorable draw at the Olympic Games.
© AFP