Dojo Nantais / Montpellier Judo Olympic: 1-7 

 

 

It was a case of woe betide the vanquished at the Dojo du Croissant in Nantes at the start of the week. After two heavy defeats (twice 1-8) on the road for the hosts and a mixed record at home for Montpellier, who were surprised by Juniville Marnaval Grand Est before putting things right against JC Pontault-Combault, it was imperative for both teams to pick up points if they hoped to extend their adventure this season. 

 

Hérault's youth in the ascendancy 

Facing Yann Lecorre, one of the teachers at the Nantes Dojo, it was Hugo David (-81kg) who unlocked the Montpellier counter - as well as his own after two setbacks - in fine style with a limpid o-uchi-gari/immobilization sequence. It was also in ne-waza that Marie Dussoulier (-70kg), who has won four medals in senior tournaments since September, found the key to victory by waza-ari over the young Algerian Inesse Chaima Abdelkader. Poland's Oleksii Boldyriev (-90kg), seventh at the last European and world junior championships, also managed his bout with Marin Le Mentec perfectly, maintaining his waza-ari on a reverse seoi-nage right up to the final gong. And while Léa Machut (+70kg) brought Montpellier a fourth consecutive point without having to fight, her compatriot Esteban Martins, who had moved up to +90kg to help out, held out until the hikiwake against Gaylord Jolly, recent veteran world medallist. 

 

Pousse carried by her students 

On the restart, Lalie Pousse (-52kg), also a teacher at Loire-Atlantique's leading club in terms of membership, had her budding judokas roaring with delight, with a nicely executed choke at the expense of Jehanne De Bouard. Nantes' only winner against Auxerre, Abderhamane Hoummani (-66kg) also gave his team hope by scoring waza-ari and then yuko, but was caught out by penalties... If the outcome of the match was now inevitable, Manon Burnel, finalist at the Lormont tournament last weekend, drew level with European junior vice-champion Emma Melis for the second draw of the evening. The British Irakli Goginashvili (-73kg), European champion and world junior medallist, was particularly at ease in hand-to-hand combat, coming back from an early waza-ari loss to Titouan Le Mentec to score three yuko and, above all, an ippon with a supersonic ko-soto-gari. As did Eva Grassin (-63kg), whose impeccable sankaku-jime gave Lina Fachate no chance. With a final score of 1-7, Montpellier had plenty of fights won - an important factor in the final rankings - and will have their fate in their own hands in three weeks' time when they visit the defending champions from Orléans. 

 

FLAM 91 / JC Chilly-Mazarin Morangis: 7-3 

 

 

Successfully associated under the "Paris Saclay" banner in the first season of the Judo Pro League, the two Essonne clubs met again, as they did last year when FLAM 91 won 7-3, head-to-head in the qualifying rounds. The Chiroquois took the derby by the scruff of the neck, thanks to Lara Hieu-Filet (-70kg), who won gold in mid-November at the Besançon tournament, and was impeccable in her standing-to-ground connection to immobilize Laura Duchaussoy. As a year ago, Ibrahim Keita and Abderahmane Diao (-90kg) then faced off, this time with the Black and Gold captain earning a point by scoring a yuko at the start of the last minute on o-soto-makikomi. Experience then gave way to youth until the break on the Massicois tatamis. Three duels between juniors followed in quick succession, the first of which saw Yvana Trecy Kamga Ngangoum (+70kg), third at the 2024 French junior championships, make more impact than Mahora El Moudni, whom she knocked down with a powerful wheel kick before finishing on the floor. World junior medalist Mathéo Akiana-Mongo (+90kg) then added to FLAM 91's tally with a sumi-gaeshi waza-ari against Kris Oliver Siewe Djiekam, who had won gold in Poitiers two days earlier, before Sarah Bothy (-52kg), selected at the last world juniors, revived the JCCMM by holding on to her yuko lead against Fine Pamédie Katendi Nzuzi, national medallist at the beginning of the year, until the end of the five-minute time limit. 

 

Second-half jackpot 

With nothing to show for it at 3-2 at the break, FLAM 91 immediately shifted up a gear, in the wake of its summer recruit, double Olympic -60kg medalist Luka Mkheidze, who was making his return to competition since the Budapest world championships in June. A first waza-ari scored on sumi-gaeshi just before the break, then a second when accompanying Sasha Quentin on her back for the fifth world title, which will resume internationally at the next Grand Slam in Tokyo. The 2021 Junior World Champion Chloé Devictor (-57kg) and Lou Lemire (-63kg), third at the last European Open in Italy, showed their skills on the ground, forcing their opponents to give up on juji-gatame, while Mickaël Dubois (-73kg) didn't have to fight to take part in the party. And although the final bout was won on penalties by Spiros Eleftheriadis, fifth in the last two French championships after winning silver in 2022, this comprehensive 7-3 victory for FLAM 91 enabled Louis Masy and Mathias Boucher's group, still unbeaten after three days, to overtake Arts Martiaux Saint-Gratien in the number of points scored.

 

US Orléans LJJ / Venelles Judo 13 : 8-1

 

 

With two defeats to date against clubs from the Paris region, US Orléans and Venelles Judo 13 had a similar record at the start of this third match of the week. This was unfortunate for the defending champions from Orléans, who were still without their European medallist Martha Fawaz, but were keen to get their Judo Pro League season off to a flying start in front of their home fans. Lili Nguyen (-63kg) was the first to take to the ring, and she didn't hesitate to make the recently-crowned veteran world medallist Laetitia Blot, who had two Grand Slam podiums in 2014, give up on juji-gatame. Cassandre Morisset (-70kg) and Neo Manfruelli (-90kg) were similarly forced to tap on Ilona Depri and Max Laborde's keys, after Arnaud Aregba (-81kg), winner of the first Grand Prix of his career in mid-November in Zagreb, gifted Benjamin Constant with a deft follow-through on the ground after scoring waza-ari on uchi-mata. France's 2025 jujitsu combat champion Sherley Dort bravely held out for a draw against Italy's Tiziana Marini, bronze medallist at the last European U23 championships, to leave no room for doubt in the heads of the Loirétaines before the interval. 

 

Ndiaye, the only bright spot for Venice 

Although Amaury Cerisier (+90kg) proved powerless against four-time African champion Mbagnick Ndiaye from Senegal, who finally immobilized him after twice impacting him in the second half of the bout, the lightweight Rouge et Blancs kept the show on the road right to the end. The reigning French champion in the -48kg category, Anaïs Perrot, came out on top against Manon Comeyne with a sharp ippon/ko-uchi-gari, followed by Enzo Jean (-66kg), who, like Arnaud Aregba in Croatia two weeks ago, had the final word with an ippon-seoi-nage against Guillaume Hureau. In the -57kg class, Clara Wentzler used her length to impose her uchi-mata on three-time African champion Mariana Esteves from Guinea, while Zakary Ainseba, making his return to the event after watching the first two days from the stands, upset Faye Njie from Gambia in the final bout. Three points and eight wins for Orléans, who need another win at home against Montpellier in three weeks' time if they are to progress to the quarter-finals.