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Amandine Buchard leads French women at first day in Lisbon

Amandine Buchard leads French women at first day in Lisbon

16 Apr 2021 13:20
IJF Emanuele Di Feliciantonio / International Judo Federation

At the last European Championships in Prague the French team finished with eight medals including five title. In Lisbon the French have again strong women’s team. On the first day World number one Amandine Buchard kicks off in her category U52kg who is big asset for gold.

Buchard booked a victory at the IJF Masters in Doha, having beaten the Japanese substitute I Shishime. At 25, and after missing the opportunity in 2020, package due to injury, the young woman has the means to conquer a first European title. The same goes for Sarah-Léonie Cysique in -57kg, a few months after her bronze medal in Prague.

Marie-Eve Gahié and Margaux Pinot in -70kg.

But the big duel expected, it is the one which will oppose from a distance Marie-Eve Gahié, world No. 1 and 2019 world champion, and Margaux Pinot, world Number two, bronze medalist in 2019, who remains on a good series. and will try in Lisbon to win a third European title in U70kg. This healthy competition carries a major stake: only one of these two will play the Olympics, and these European Championships represent the ultimate indicator for the coaches to decide and point out which one will go to Japan.

In this Olympic season, and while (almost all) the women's selection for the Tokyo Games was announced ten days ago, some preferred to skip: Clarisse Agbegnenou (U63kg) and Madeleine Malonga (U78kg) rather chose to compete in the Worlds in Budapest (June 6-13) to keep their scepter there (it would even be a fifth title for Agbegnenou). The lightweight revelation Shirine Boukli (U48kg) and the breathtaking Romane Dicko (+ 78kg) will be aligned with the Grand Slam of Kazan (Russia, May 5-7).

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