Archive image. — © REUTERS
Judoka Matthias Casse is ready for the Olympic Games. A month after the Grand Slam of Paris, the world number in the class up to 81 kilograms also won the Grand Slam of Tashkent, Uzbek. On the way to the final he also defeated two previous Olympic champions.
After a difficult period last year with a coaching change and a European Championship without a medal, Matthias Casse (27) is gradually regaining an aura of invincibility. After silver at the Grand Slam of Tokyo in December, gold followed at the Grand Slams of Paris and Tashkent. In the Uzbek capital, the Antwerp native defeated the last two Olympic champions. In the second round he defeated Khasan Khalmurzaev, the 2016 Olympic champion, after 4:28 on penalties in the golden score. In the semi-finals, Casse forced Japan’s Takanori Nagase (IJF 13), the reigning Olympic champion, to make another mistake in the golden score. “It’s the first time in three matches that I’ve beaten Nagase. That is certainly positive,” responded Casse, who defeated the Austrian Shamil Borchashvili (IJF 9) in the final.
The 27-year-old Casse thus captured his sixth Grand Slam victory. “Winning the first two Grand Slams, especially in an Olympic year, gives you a good feeling and opens up great perspectives,” said Casse. “Even if I’m not in top form, I can apparently still win against the biggest names out there. I wasn’t at my best, but those things happen. Then you still have to try to get the most out of it. And that was just enough to get gold.”
Five months before the Olympic Games, Casse seems ready for a second Olympic medal. “It is really my intention now that I will peak at the Olympic Games. I’ve done enough competitions and I have plenty of points. I no longer have to worry about the world ranking or Olympic qualification. I will still participate in the upcoming European Championships and World Championships, but that is merely a stepping stone to the Games. I have to be as fresh as possible in Paris. I want to be in my best shape ever there.”