In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr Allan is present for the World Championships Cadets and for day one the technical analysis is hers.
“What a good start! It’s really well organised here. The local organisers have done and are continuing to do a fantastic job. The volunteers and the venue staff are all behind the event; a perfect team effort. It’s something that has been said before and I can testify to its validity, ‘It’s a small federation with a big heart.’"
"We must thank Dr Branislav Crnogorac, President of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Judo Federation and also Technical Director of the IJF Education and Coaching Commission. He has ensured the host country is open to all, welcoming delegations from all over the world. We have attendance and support from all continents and that is really important as this is the next generation, the future of the World Judo Tour.
Thinking about the technical aspects of the judo itself, I was really impressed by the de-ashi-barai from the Turkish competitor in the semi-final of the -44kg category. It struck me for being so well timed, so perfectly placed and with real commitment."
"Also, on the other side of the draw, the world number one, Wandel (NED), was down by a waza-ari against the Italian but she kept her cool and threw with an osoto-gari variation and went straight into the hold. That gave her the other place in the final."
"She’s shown consistent form all year and with this as the pinnacle event in her calendar, it’s great to see such a young competitor able to hold her nerve throughout the season.
The world number ones have had mixed fortunes on this first day but three of them made it to their respective finals and one went on to take the gold. It the day with the lowest number of athletes but still with a high quality field. Europe has brought their strongest athletes and occupies the majority of the entry but Asia and Pan America also had representatives in the first final block of this world championships and it is likely this diversity will continue to be a feature throughout the week.”
Both organisation and judo performance have been under the spotlight on this first day and it can be said, without mitigation, both are doing well. With such a high quality first day, the knock-on effect is likely to produce an outstanding event overall. Congratulations to the hosts, their efforts have been rewarded.