For day 3 of the World Championships Cadets, the technical analysis belongs to Cathy.
“There is a good overall level today, similar to the juniors. I like the younger players a lot because they have real sincerity, wanting to win and to throw; it’s an honest approach."
"Among the men Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan come with strong and passionate teams, all very able. They use the whole body and seem to have magic hips. We can see this agility at seniors but also now all the way down to cadets. The school of hips is vibrant in these countries! They can counter and flow and pick up from almost anywhere and it’s impressive."
"The Indian judoka at -57kg has a very strong o-uchi-gari straight from hajime and it’s a real surprise for everyone but she went all the way to the final and then won the gold medal. It’s indicative of the whole world circuit now, finding Indian competitors with very nice judo, using posture, fast feet and an attacking attitude in all age categories. Today this girl made history and I don’t think it’s the last we will see of her or her compatriots.”
The technical side of the judo is not the only focus of Cathy’s thoughts, “The organisation is good and for the cadets this is important, to allow them to focus on their real task.
The coaching is also positive today, with no major issues and so this means the refereeing is also accepted as being on the right line. So with diversity among the medal-winning judoka and in the final block as a whole, positive coaching, smooth organisation and consistency in the refereeing, everyone is working together to provide the best experience for the next generation of elite seniors.
I have to add that at the beginning of this third day, France was first on the medal table. The men of the team look really good but with the young women there seems to be some good technique waiting to show itself but a little too much tension to really show their best. It’s there and waiting to come. This is just one experience though and just one step towards the top level. Some of the girls already placed well at the European Cadet Championships in Porec and so we know they can do it. They have ended the day behind Georgia but who knows how it will end with one more day srill to come.
The athletes who win medals here in Sarajevo will take confidence from this, of course, but for the rest they have to understand the steps and continue to train and improve. The work ethic is important. In the weeks to come this day will be far behind us and the next goal is likely to have become clear.”
There have been so many positive messages today around technical judo skills, organisation and many other aspects and so it seems we are destined to enjoy a really great championship and some outstanding memories. Day 4 gets under way at 11am local time and all action can be followed at live.IJF.org.