Born on 12 July 1995 in Noisy-le-Sec (France), Amandine Buchard was between August 2013 and August 2016 the only Frenchwoman among the eleven members of the World Judo Academy, a series that I had the privilege of hosting for eighteen issues of the bi-monthly L’Esprit du judo and which also featured the Hungarian U57 Hedvig […]
Amandine Buchard – Status and Liberty Lire la suite »
Born on 26 July 1944 in Ulrichshorst (Germany), Norbert Littkopf passed away on 25 October 2024 at the age of 80. Having taken up judo at the age of 17, ‘Nobsch’ made his mark as coach of the reunited German women’s team from 1990 to 2008, both through his results and his personality. Over this
Norbert Littkopf (1944-2024), by Annett Boehm Lire la suite »
[FRA – Cet article est une reprise de la version anglaise d’un papier publié en deux parties, en août et octobre 2014 dans le bimestriel français L’Esprit du judo. Cette version anglaise a été mise en ligne en février 2015 dans l’ancienne version du site Internet de l’EDJ, mais n’était plus visible
How Did Ezio Become Gamba? (2015) Lire la suite »
Born on 13 March 1990 in Vanier (Canada), Antoine Valois-Fortier spent a decade as one of the leading lights in the highly competitive U81kg category. An unexpected bronze medallist at the age of 22 at the 2012 Olympic Games, Nicolas Gill’s protégé went on to confirm that his London podium finish was anything but a
Antoine Valois-Fortier – The Constant Gardener Lire la suite »
Born on 25 October 1994 in Ullapool (Scotland), and naturalized Spanish in February 2024, Malin Wilson Claret was, in another life, my children’s… babysitter. That was in the spring of 2013, in Lyon (France). Eighteen years old at the time, the U57kg was at the crossroads of a life that she already knew deep down
Malin Wilson – Come. See. Conquer. Lire la suite »
Born on May 7, 1988 in Bolintin-Vale (Romania), Andreea Chitu moved from the U57kg to the U52kg category at the age of 23. A rare decision, as most category changes during a career are generally made to the higher one, in order to relieve the body after years of cutting weight. A choice that led
Andreea Chitu – She Remembers Lire la suite »
Born on July 20, 2002 in Paris (France), Romain Valadier-Picard is European champion and vice-World cadet champion in 2019, European junior champion in 2021, double World junior medalist in 2021 and 2022 and already in the top 3 of French seniors in the U60kg category when, in the fall of 2023, this logbook begins. A
Romain Valadier-Picard – The Fire Next Time Lire la suite »
Born on 28 September 1994 in Versailles (France), Benjamin Axus has won seven individual medals at the French senior championships to date, including three titles. A European junior champion in 2014, the U73kg player from AJA Paris XX was a member of the French team at the 2017, 2018 and 2022 World Championships. Following a randori
Benjamin Axus – Still Standing Lire la suite »
[FRA – Cet article est une reprise de la version anglaise originale d’un papier publié en juillet 2019 dans le bimestriel français L’Esprit du judo. Cette version anglaise a été mise en ligne le même mois dans l’ancienne version du site Internet de l’EDJ et reprise par le site JudoInside, mais n’était plus visible depuis la
Lukas Krpalek – The Best Years of a Life (2019) Lire la suite »
