Stade Bordelais experienced a very encouraging first season of discovery, punctuated by qualification for the quarter-finals. Throughout its entire journey, only the two finalists managed to defeat the Girondins: ACBB in the knockout phase, then Judo Nice Métropole in the quarter-finals.

Drawing on this experience, David Gonzalez’s team now wants to confirm its place and try its hand at the Final Four for the first time. «Our starting ambition is to win all four of our qualifying matches to get into the quarterfinals as the best ranked team possible,« said technical director David Gonzalez, excited as he spoke about his team. »We are maintaining our initial positioning, which is to go forward with young athletes, and I know that this will present a great opportunity for them to face competitive opponents. Because it has to be admitted that many of the teams that are competing in this Judo Pro League are competitive, starting with those that the draw has reserved for us.”

A promising blend of youth and experience

True to its tradition, the Girondin team continues to rely on its young talent, notably represented by Lola Berthet, Mathilde Chabal, Calypso Debuire and Désir Zoba Casi, all of whom were medalists at the last Label Excellence tournament in Nantes at the beginning of October. It can also count on several high-profile foreign reinforcements, including three Olympians – the British Lucy Renshall, the Dominican Robert Florentino and the Bulgarian Mark Hristov – as well as the Spaniard Ayumi Leiva Sanchez, bronze medalist at the last World Championships.

As proof of the team’s density, the Stade Bordelais had seven athletes selected for the 2026 World Championships, making it the third Judo Pro League team with the most representation in Baku.
This group is joined by several new recruits, including Francis Damier from Flam 91 and Romaric Bouda from Normandie Judo. With such a mix of youth and experience in Bordelais style, Stade Bordelais seems prepared for anything.