Juniville Marnaval Grand Est / Auxerre Judo: 6-3 

 

 

A win to start the season, followed by a defeat on the second day: as the second phase of these qualifiers got underway, the two teams met again in Rethel, in front of almost a thousand spectators. A warm atmosphere that the Juniville Marnaval fighters didn't fail to fan, immediately taking control of the match. The 2022 world champion Andy Granda (+90kg), imperious in kumikata, only had to accelerate in the second half of the bout to see Bilel Zouani concede a third penalty, synonymous with disqualification. Double French champion in the -52kg Julie Weill-dit-Morey then made no mistake against Moroccan Soumiya Iraoui, scoring waza-ari on a lightning sode-tsuri-komi-goshi before signing the evening's projection on a morote-seoi-nage pattern. The Junivillais demonstration continued on the floor, with Jules Cymbert (-66kg) defeating Johnny Ozmanyan, French cadet champion in 2022, with a waza-ari scored in immobilization. The icaunaise revolt then also involved ne-waza, with a limpid stranglehold inflicted on Ylona Wattecant by Alya De Carvalho (-57kg), runner-up in the 2025 European U23 Championship, but Tanguy Gérard (-73kg) proved more enterprising than Mohammed Berrabah, who was punished for the third time in the bout for a leg grab with thirty seconds to go. 

 

Bruhl and Lherbier put the nail in the coffin 

 

In order to avoid the same outcome as in Nice at the beginning of November (3-4 defeat), the home team restarted on the same basis, with Loriane Bruhl (-63kg) perfectly following up her little inside mow against Lena Katia Siouane with an immobilizer. Lou Lherbier (-81kg) then had the honour of securing a much-needed victory, which he managed to do on the gong, winning a yuko via video referee after cleverly staying hooked on Ahmed El Meziati's snatch attempt. At 6-1, Inès Prévot (-70kg) was spared the challenge of two-time world junior champion Melkia Auchecorne, while the defeat of Abdoul-Radir Drammeh (-90kg) - twice thwarted on his uchi-mata by Ukraine's Klymov Vsevolod - and the draw between recent world veteran champion Marine Erb (+70kg) and Océane Diarrassouba, proved anecdotal. With six points, Juniville Marnaval, who play host to Asnières (also with two wins) on January 21, keep their fate in their own hands with a view to the quarter-finals. 

 

Dojo Béglais / Judo Nice Métropole: 2-5 

 

 

Condemned to a feat against the Azureans, triple medallists in the competition (victory in 2024, silver in 2022 and bronze in 2025), the Béglais could count on Esteban Rouaud (-90kg), who had saved Gironde's honour against Asnières in mid-November. Facing Sacha Gigli, finalist at the Besançon tournament three weeks ago in the lower category, he scored a waza-ari on a very rotational uki-waza with just seconds remaining in regulation time. With Perrine Barato (+70kg) not lining up against Grâce-Esther Mienandi-Lahou, everything had to be redone, and it was Tanou Keita (+90kg) from Nice who emerged victorious from his duel with Alex Khouma, countering him for yuko at the start of the last minute. After the draw between Diane Inguimbert and Léa Métrot in -52kg, it was the Monegasque Abdesalem Khiri (-66kg), finalist at the last Small States Games, who insisted on his sweep to send Pierre Dumontier, son of the founder of the Béglais Dojo, to the mat. 

 

Chloé Jean keeps hope alive 

 

One of the contenders for the national podium in the -57kg category at next week's French First Division Championships, Ophélie Velozzi assumed her status by subduing Cyrielle Vaubourdolle in juji-gatame. Rodéric Prosper (-66kg) and Croatian Nina Simic (-63kg), third at this summer's Grand Slam in Mongolia, were unable to find a way past national medallists Driss Masson-Jbilou and Rania Drid, The fate of the match was already sealed before the splendid ko-uchi-gari of Bastien Pons from Nice and the fine performance of world cadet 2025 medallist Chloé Jean, who lined up in the -70kg category and beat reigning French champion Florine Soula by two yuko. A second Gironde point will be worth its weight in gold on January 21 when they welcome Venelles Judo 13, one of only six teams - along with Dojo Béglais - yet to win this season. 

 

 

Stade Bordelais / AC Boulogne-Billancourt: 3-5 

 

 

The Stade Bordelais / AC Boulogne-Billancourt curtain-raiser on the third day of the French Judo Pro League was not only a remake of the final of the first French mixed-team championships, but also revealed the identity of the sixth club to remain unbeaten in the league. With two forfeits in the -52kg and +70kg classes, the Boulonnais knew they had no room for error, and this was certainly what was on the minds of Ivan Chernyshenko (-90kg) and Ukrainian Yevheniy Balyevskyy (+90kg), third at the last Grand Prix in Lima, when they respectively threw uchi-mata and tani-otoshi a few seconds before the end of their bouts against Kayss Leleu and Édouard Capelle. Two victories by ippon on the wire immediately made up for lost time on the scoreboard, before the draw between Bordeaux's Kylian Noël (-66kg) and Italy's Elios Manzi, bronze medallist at last weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. 

 

Cabaret at the end of the suspense 

 

There was no winner either on the restart between Lola Berthet (-57kg) and Cadet European vice-champion Alice Lopez, and the suspense was still intact with the last four duels of the day. This was the moment chosen by Eliot Prevé (-73kg), selected at the last minute for the team event at the European championships last April, to shine with his perfectly executed yoko-tomoe-nage at the expense of Nino Gonzalez. Zia Bourdole (-63kg), medallist at the last French second division championships, brought Stade Bordelais up to scratch for the third time in the evening, beating Mélanie Horvais with her uchi-mata, before Italy's Giovanni Esposito, ranked 15th in the world in the -73kg category, gave the ACBB the lead once again, disposing of Mathis Roussel by two yuko and a waza-ari in the -81kg category. The scoreboard read "3-4, 300-313", with one thing clear before Émilie Dando and Naomi Cabaret entered the fray in the -70kg category: only a victory by ippon could give the home team all three points. A scenario that the spectators firmly believed in when Cabaret, who was feeling her way, received a second penalty with a minute and a half to go. However, it was the Boulonnaise who scored on the following sequence, taking the initiative for yuko when Dando was settled in the kumikata. A meagre advantage that she managed to hold on to until the end, giving her team a third win in as many matches. With this fifth hard-fought duel, the ACBB moved up to third in the standings on points-average. This augurs well for a trip to Pontault-Combault on January 13, where Romain Poussin's charges will be looking to stay in the top 4 and secure a place in the quarter-finals.