Venelles Judo 13 / RSC Montreuil: 2-8 

Spectators at Venelles' Halle Nelson-Mandela were treated to a firework display of projections for this season's first duel between the promoted teams. Camal Feyziyev and Emre Sanal (+90kg) set the tone from the outset, with the Azerbaijani coming back from two impacts conceded to the 2022 French champion to win by immobilization and offer the first point to the home side. The advantage was short-lived, however, as Spain's Mireia Lapuerta Comas (-52kg) followed up with three values on o-uchi-gari against Manon Comeyne, national cadet medallist in 2023, before concluding with ura-nage. The remake of the semi-final at the last French senior championships then turned to the advantage of two-time title-holder Kévin Azema (-66kg), his yoko-tomoe-nage attempt a few seconds from time against Meane Korval giving him enough yuko to win. The 2025 European university champion Lena Bonnamy (-57kg) brought Venelles up to scratch with a sublime morote-seoi-nage on her knees, but Lionel Bebey (-73kg) disposed of Israil Dakayev with a clever yuko just before the time-out. 

A flawless second half 

Trailing 2-3 at the break, Les Venellois could still have hoped for their first win in the competition, but they were no match for Montreuillois, who went into "surgical" mode to build on their inaugural victory over Asnières-sur-Seine. In the -63kg class, Romane Dyot quickly strangled Maëlys Lafay, while Mattéo Giordano (-81kg) perfectly rolled up Benjamin Constant on morote-seoi-nage. With no female fighter against Samah Hawa Camara (+70kg), the Parisians were definitely safe, but this didn't stop Ariela Sanchez Benitez (-70kg), the 2023 Spanish champion, from upsetting Cassandre Morisset on the backhand side, nor Lucas Duchaussoy (-90kg) from adding to the score with a yuko inflicted on Néo Manfruelli on tsuri-goshi (2-8). A match which will go down as the first of the year without a hikiwake, and which enables RSC Montreuil to take the lead in the standings - in terms of number of bouts won - at the end of this second day. 

 

AM Asnières Judo 92 / Dojo Béglais: 7-1 

 

 

Also trapped by the fighters from Seine-Saint-Denis three weeks ago (3-6), the Asniérois were keen to kick-start their season once and for all, as were the Dojo Béglais, who had failed to win at Saint-Gratien in early October (2-8). Maxence Bordin (+90kg), the junior 2024 continental medallist, was the first to take to the ring, leading the way against Seyba Thiam, who was penalized three times in just over three minutes. Lycia Guebli and Diane Inguimbert (-52kg) then neutralized each other, before Evan Leclerc (-66kg) equalized at the very end of the bout with a subtle ko-soto-gari against Azerbaijani Nazir Talibov to keep the visitors from Gironde in the match. Meriem Medjouri's harai-makikomi (-57kg) followed by Hans-Jorris Ahibo's ura-nage (-73kg) put the protégés of Fabrice Ruimy-Guillaume Etchegaray and Rayane Hamdaoui in a good position as they headed back to the locker room at the Arena Teddy Riner, which was packed for the occasion.  

Tokas at work 

This lead quickly turned into a one-woman show when the young Indian Himanshi Tokas (-63kg), who won bronze last month at the Pan-American Open in Lima, quickly imposed her o-soto-gari on Mathilde Agier. Buoyed by the support of their fans, Junior Dabaya (-81kg), Juliette Diollot (-70kg) and Océane Baba Boura (+70kg) also found the resources to be declared victorious by the referee at the end of the five-minute time limit, when only the 2023 French cadet champion David Gnafoua (-90kg) let a point slip from his side when he was caught by Esteban Rouaud's wheel kick in the last minute of their confrontation. A waza-ari that could well prove important in the final totals, as it enabled Christophe Dumontier's group to leave US Orléans and Dojo Nantais behind in the last two places in the standings. For Asnières, it was a welcome three points ahead of two forthcoming trips to Essonne and Haute-Marne, against Sainte-Geneviève Sports (19/11) and Juniville Marnaval Grand Est (21/01). 

 

 

JC Chilly-Mazarin Morangis / Sainte-Geneviève Sports: 5-5 

 

The winner of the Essonne derby between JC Chilly-Mazarin Morangis and Sainte-Geneviève Sports had to be decided patiently on Wednesday evening! Everything seemed to be working perfectly for the Chiroquois, who had decided from the outset not to put Mahora El Moudni up against Paris Grand Slam gold medallist Léa Fontaine in the tenth and final +70kg bout of the day. Roméo Lévêque (+90kg) quickly made up for lost time against "coach" Antoine Lamour, in judogi for the occasion, with a first waza-ari on sumi-gaeshi, then a second on ko-soto-gari for the medallist from last month's national tournaments in Noisy-le-Grand and Troyes. The reigning European university champion Sarah Bothy (-52kg) also came out on top, immobilizing Héléna Beyssac-Poulin after impacting her on uchi-mata, followed by Richard Vergnes (-66kg) - with a yuko on eri-seoi-nage - and the 2025 junior continental medallist Peter Jean (-73kg), also impeccable to finish on the floor ahead of last March's French cadet champion Ishak Tabet. Only Clarisse Carillon (-57kg) managed to score for the Génovéfains before half-time, tackling Saféine Gues on both shoulders. 

A Coutin lightning bolt 

Far from admitting defeat, the Red and Whites relied on the experience of Cloé Yvin (-63kg), who cracked Emma Benghezal - guilty of a fatal false attack in the final seconds - and then on the vista of Côme Amily to scatter the vice champion of France cadets 2025 Ahmed-Adam Hamdaoui in two steps, on uchi-mata-gaeshi then tsubame-gaeshi. Counting the score for the +70kg category, it was 4-4 by the time Lara Hieu-Filet and Audren Guenneugues (-70kg) entered the ring. The confrontation lasted just forty seconds, the time it took for the former, a finalist at Noisy-le-Grand less than a month ago, to set the 2025 European Cadet vice-champion on her way with a magnificent uchi-mata. With Senegal's Abderhamane Diao (-90kg), a triple continental medallist, as the final ammunition, it looked like a done deal for the JCCMM... until this uchi-mata in the circle from Avel Coutin, who had won silver a few days earlier at the label excellence junior tournament in Tergnier, which the video audience rewarded with an ippon worth its weight in gold! It also enabled Sainte-Geneviève Sports to reach five wins and 500 points, compared with 401 for their neighbors... A perfect start for the Génovéfains, the seventh team to remain unbeaten at the halfway stage, who will play host to Asnières-sur-Seine (19/11) and Saint-Gratien (18/12) back-to-back in a bid to book their place in the quarters.