With their backs against the wall ahead of this Thursday's visit to leaders Montreuil, Auxerre Judo are determined to beat the odds in Seine-Saint-Denis and secure one of the top eight places in the quarter-finals. And they've got a lot to live up to, like their ratio of victories by a hundred points - 14/14 (eleven wins by ippon and three forfeits) - which is simply perfect! «It didn't come down to much against Bordeaux (3-6 defeat), but that's what happens in this great competition, where you can't afford to make any mistakes if you want to go far, explains Abderhamane Elassri, club president. Anything is possible in a single match, as we saw last year when we reached the final, enabling us to take part in the Champions League a few weeks ago. (elimination in the last 16 against Italy's Akiyama Settimo, Editor's note). For a small provincial club like ours, it's just extraordinary, in the same way that Guy Roux has succeeded with AJ Auxerre in soccer over the years. Without this Judo Pro League, we would never have had the chance to make all those who have been following us for three years proud.» 

 

 

Fighting for others 

 

«It's good news for us, and encourages us not to relax our efforts, even if it's going to be more complicated this season.» The Icaunais are clearly on a commando mission when they take on RSC Montreuil this week. «We've got a number of interesting players in our group who can turn the match in our favor, plus a very family-like spirit which means that everyone will step up to the mat with the intention of fighting for everyone else. Since the start of the competition, we've always had people who manage to sublimate themselves for the team, like Vsevolod Klymov. (the only male in the competition to return 300 points to his team this year, Editor's note) for example, and we must hope that this mentality, which we hold dear, will bear fruit on Thursday.» Now it's time for the final explanations, with the fourth and final day of qualifying shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet this week!