Victor is the EJU Head Video Producer and for the Cadet World Championships in Sarajevo he has stepped into a similar role for the IJF. His eyes are always on judo, searching for the most beautiful moments. Today the technical analysis is his.
“My first observation is that I feel like a specialist in European judo because I work with the EJU and also I’m still competing, mostly in Europe but I don’t often have the chance to see, especially with the young judoka, judo styles from outside the continent. It’s a real education to see how the different styles come together at the world level.
With this in mind, I enjoyed watching Shermakhamatov (UZB) in the -90kg category. He is really quiet and focussed and doesn’t show any emotion until the awarding signal is given by the referee. In his semi-final the Serbian had all the crowd with him and he didn’t let it affect him at all. Having controlled the pace and keeping good form throughout, he used a tomoe-nage right in the last second to win the match and it was so calmly applied, especially considering the two shido against him. This result really went against the room but he held his nerve and with pure judo he won."
"We have seen some youngsters aiming to be like the seniors and they bring some reactions that are a little unnatural, for show, but he was so natural and his celebration was really honest and in line with the judo values."
"At +90kg I really noticed Messe A Bessong (CAN) because he is very tall while not being so heavy but he doesn’t use his height to spoil the contests. He has really positive attacking judo and with a nice osoto-gari that he uses well. With more development it can becoming a super-dangerous technique in the years to come. I really respect that attitude, to stay positive when his physical attributes could have led him to a different style. It was great to see him on top of the podium."
"Still thinking about how different judoka use physical attributes, I also enjoyed the semi-final between Japan and France at +70kg. Sometimes there are negative comments when one judoka is much bigger than their opponent but with this French girl it should never be the case."
"She is unusually tall and has clearly cultivated a bigger build too but actually we were taught a lesson by her today. Her Japanese opponent in the semi-final was the smallest of the group but they each brought very positive judo to the match. They showed us two completely opposite styles but also that either could have been successful at any moment. There was a huge difference between them but the tactical awareness of the Japanese kumi-kata and the French competitor really using her natural weapons skilfully, gave us all an exciting contest. We had lessons in judo strategy and were served with a command to respect athletes of all shapes and sizes. Both had great judo and the win came to France 3-0 on shido but that was not representative of the level of the contest as a whole. She showed her skill again in an all-French final and really deserves to be world champion."
"Aside from the technical aspects of judo, I watch the chemistry between judoka and their coaches. I look for the reactions to both wins and losses and actually sometimes they change the route of the fights. Sport is for losers and by that I mean that the majority of competitors don’t medal every time they compete. In a category of 40 athletes, 36 will leave without a medal; that is a lot of losing for the coaches to manage and here I have seen a lot of mixed reactions but some of the coaching has been hugely positive. These interactions can really dictate the future for the youngest international athletes and everyone needs to be mindful of that.”
Victor had much to say but with the archive awaiting his input he went back to filming and editing.
The individual competition has now come to an end. The cadets have brought passion, mistakes, commitment, team spirit and a promise to keep learning and moving into the elite junior and senior ranks. The mixed team event takes centre stage for the final day of Sarajevo’s judo extravaganza and these youngsters will undoubtedly raise the roof! Tune in via live.IJF.org.