Just like last year, the Belgian delegation returns from the European Judo Championships without a medal. The seventh places of Jorre Verstraeten (-60 kg) and Ellen Salens (-48 kg) were the best performances. The absence of world number one Matthias Casse (-81 kg) was considered a mitigating circumstance.
“We cannot be satisfied with these results,” Koen Sleeckx, the Technical Director of Top Sport of Judo Flanders, told Belga on Sunday. “We had athletes who could aspire to a medal. With Nikiforov, Verstraeten, Libeer and Ryheul we aimed for at least a place in the top 8. That was also important in the battle for qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris. It didn’t work, although Toma put up a strong fight against Sulamanidze. Verschaere and Duyck paid tuition fees at the highest level. It is a pity. As far as I am concerned, Casse’s absence cannot have any influence on the functioning of the others.”
The coming weeks promise to be exciting for Belgian judokas with Olympic ambitions. They will have to hit back during the Grand Slam tournaments in Dushanbe and Astana. There is also the World Cup in Abu Dhabi (May 19-23).
Ellen Sallens. — © BELGIUM
“Libeer and Ryheul have not done a good thing,” Sleeckx continued. “They leave Zagreb without a win. They will have to look elsewhere for their points. Fortunately, there is a new opportunity in Tajikistan next week. Most judokas can do better. Often it is a matter of details. Winning matches will build confidence and help them progress physically.”