Photos: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Results courtesy of Judoinside.com

Rotterdam Sportpaleis AHOY'

Since the inception of the European Championships in 1951, Holland, home to the great Anton Geesink, has hosted the event seven times. Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port and was this year’s venue and an ideal opportunity to rehears for the 2009 Worlds at the same Sportpaleis AHOY’ venue. Built in 1970 it has a history of holding regular pop concerts and was ideal for this event with a superb sound system and flashy lighting that was not good for the photographers.                                 Right: Opening ceremony with a woman's mouth played as a musical instrument

All four non-Asiatic Olympic champions absent

As so often happens before a World Championships - this year scheduled for Cairo in September – some of the favourites were absent including all four non-Asiatic Olympic champions. Firstly, Ilias Iliadis GRE (left at Paris earlier this year) who, extraordinarily at the age of 17, convincingly won the Athens 81kgs division and now fights at 90kgs, recently has won the prestigious Paris Super World Cup.  In the same 90kgs category, Athens champion Zurab Zviadauri of Georgia was absent along with 100kgs champion Ihar Makarau BLR. On the women’s side 57kgs Athens gold medallist Yvonne Boenisch from Potsdam, Germany also preferred to stay away.

Olympic champion Ilias Iliadis GRE was absent along with  Olympic champion Yvonne Boenisch GER

More ippons from the women

The event ran over three days and saw good performances from the home team with Elisabeth Willeboordse winning her first major title at 63kgs and Edith Bosch, Athens silver medallist, taking the 70kgs gold (right) and her second European title. In the semi-final Bosch convincingly defeated the 17 year old junior world champion Anett Meszaros (left) of Hungary.  Meszaros fought back through the repercharge to gain a bronze and her first senior level medal.  

Alina Alexandra Dumitru (right) of Romania defended her 48kgs gold medal and won all her contests by ippon often utilising her extraordinary running te-guruma. Celine Lebrun of France, at 28, returned to form and won her fifth European title at under 78kgs extinguishing all her opponents by ippon while British heavyweight, Karina Bryant (left), added her fourth European title to her two World silver and two bronze medals in preparation for Cairo and her attempt to win the gold.

Mikhaylin back on form for Cairo

On the men’s side Alexander Mikhaylin (left) of Russia was the most distinguished champion adding a third European heavyweight title to his two World gold medals with all ippon victories – the only man to do so. He appears to be finally out of the extraordinary bad period that he experienced prior to Athens, for which he did not qualify, when he was disqualified for passivity at the Osaka Worlds and from then on had trouble even winning a contest, let alone a medal. The only other men’s returning champion was Elchin Ismaylov of Azebajan (second right of medallists) who took the 66kgs title with three ippons and two wazaris to win his third title. 

In the other weights two reserve fighters took gold medals. Christophe Humbert of France (left) just beat favourite Ariel Zeevi ISR for the light heavyweight 100kgs title after Ghislane Lemaire pulled out. In the 81kgs division, Ole Bischof of Germany (right below winning the final), last year’s silver medallist took the title with his very effective drop seoinage for ippon in the final after replacing Denis Huck who broke his leg prior to the championships. 

In the lightest weight defending 60kgs champion Ludwig Paischer of Austria (below left unhappily with his silver medal) lost the final to a controversial ippon by Armen Nazaryan of Armenia. He was awarded ippon for an uncontrolled twist against Paischer who had him off the ground and stumbled onto his back. I understand that the EJU are using the video of this final in their future referee training courses.

If it had happened at next September’s Cairo Worlds the referee and judges would be expected to view the new video specialist recordings of the contest to support their instantaneous and sometimes incorrect decisions.  Hopefully, for all concerned, the new technology, which has been used in many other Olympic sports for a number of years, will be incorporated into future European Championships. 

David Finch, 28th May 2005