Alina Böhm is in impressive form at the European Judo Championships in Montpellier. The German judoka successfully defends her light heavyweight title
Alina Böhm successfully defended her light heavyweight title at the European Judo Championships in Montpellier and presented herself in impressive form eight and a half months before the Olympic Games in Paris. The 25-year-old from Heubach in Swabia defeated the Italian world number one Alice Bellandi in the final of the 78 kg category. Her latest success brings Böhm closer to a ticket to Paris.
Böhm’s great rival, Olympic bronze medallist Anna-Maria Wagner (Ravensburg), lost to Bellandi in the semi-finals in Montpellier and was also defeated in the bronze medal match against Inbar Lanir from Israel, finishing in fifth place. Wagner was fourth in the world rankings before the European Championships, well ahead of Böhm (11th), who is now getting closer. Only one of the two German world-class fighters will be allowed to compete at next year’s Summer Games.
Böhm secured the German team’s third medal in Montpellier on the final day of competition. Dominic Ressel (Kronshagen/81 kg) and Mascha Ballhaus (Hamburg/57 kg) had previously won bronze. Giovanna Scoccimarro (Vorsfelde/70 kg), who won the only German medal at the World Championships in Doha in May with silver, was absent in France due to her second cruciate ligament rupture in 16 months.
At the 2022 European Championships in Sofia, the German Judo Federation won gold once with Böhm and silver once. The European Championships in Montpellier are likely to have been the last championships before the Games in Paris (July 26 to August 11). The next World Championships are to be held in Tel Aviv. Whether this will be in 2024 or 2025 remains to be seen