What could be better than a fiery clash for the kickoff of this fifth season of the Judo Pro League? It was a matchup that lived up to all its expectations, featuring the now essential ingredients of a great judo evening: spectacle, suspense, and a dramatic conclusion in the final bout to keep everyone on the edge of their seats. It was intense at the Copernic gym!

Despite the absence of the four French starters for the upcoming World Championships – Kaila Issoufi and Léa Fontaine for Sainte-Geneviève Sports, Shirine Boukli and Luka Mkheidze for FLAM 91 – the competition was fierce between these two major clubs of French judo, all within a passionate atmosphere. It began with the victory of Alpha Oumar Djalo, a 2024 Olympian in Paris in the -81kg category and a newly licensed member of the Massy club, who won against Lucas Fouquet Pertusa with his favorite combination: a minor inner reap followed by a major inner reap. The Red and Whites immediately tied the score thanks to Ilona Depri (-70kg), who dominated Laura Duchaussoy with a circular arm technique. They then took the lead through David Iurcovschi, who started at the Junior World Championships in late November in Uzbekistan. Trailing against Ibrahim Keita, the young -90kg judoka proved opportunistic with a ko-soto-gari that allowed him to score an ippon with one minute remaining! That was all it took to wake up Louis Masy’s troops, with two consecutive successes in the heavyweight divisions: Bintinbé Lang (+70kg) first threw Therese Sassa Tatukila with an o-soto-gaeshi perfectly followed by an hold-down, before the Dutchman Jelle Snippe (+90kg), despite trailing, overcame Cédric Olivar’s two yukos with a waza-ari scored on an o-uchi-gari. 2-3 at halftime for the visitors.

Never more than a one-point gap!

Upon resumption, Cloé Riboulon (-52kg) brought the hosts, coached by Antoine Lamour and Édouard Gingreau, level once again by completely catching Fine Pamedie Katendi Nzuzi off guard with a minor inner reap. No winner followed between Maxime Ignaczak and Cédric Revol at -66kg. A bronze medalist at the last three French junior championships, Eilys Berriot (-57kg) put the Black and Gold back in the lead with a decisive advantage scored right at the start of her bout against Lucinda Granata on a counter. That lasted only a few minutes, as Marven Bamana-Kibiti (-73kg) launched his favorite move, a major inner reap, which put Léon Muteba on his back. 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, and thus 4-4! Everything would ultimately come down to the final duel. A -63kg bout between two national senior medalists which Lou Lemire won authoritatively, her morote-seoi-nage scoring twice against the recent junior European championship competitor Audren Guenneugues. The first leader of this Judo Pro League is therefore FLAM 91, who will travel again on November 10 to Montpellier, one week after Sainte-Geneviève Sports hosts the Arts Martiaux Saint-Gratien—semifinalists last year—and is already forced to react.