Judoka Michael Korrel won gold at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam on Saturday. The 26-year-old Dutchman won in the final in the class up to 100 kilograms against the Israeli Peter Paltchik and for Jur Spijkers and Marhinde Verkerk there was bronze.
Korrel, who took bronze at the 2019 World Cup and won the World Masters in the same year, impressed the Tel Aviv with convincing victories, including in the semi-finals against the Russian Niiaz Iliasov.
The victory over home favorite Paltchik only took shape in the extra time, the so-called golden score. Korrel got his opponent on the shoulder with some difficulty, but was nevertheless awarded the win after watching video images.
Nails took bronze from the heavyweights. He surprised Roy Meyer in a straight fight for a medal. Meyer competes in the class above 100 kilograms with Henk Grol for a ticket for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The 35-year-old Grol skipped the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv. He is fully focused on the European Championships to be held in April, after taking bronze at the World Masters in Doha last month. Verkerk won bronze in the women’s class up to 78 kilograms. The 2009 world champion took German Luise Malzahn in a hip swing that yielded waza-ari.
Marhinde Verkerk in a fight with Audrey Tcheumeo from France.
Marhinde Verkerk in a fight with Audrey Tcheumeo from France. Photo: ANP
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Tel Aviv is the penultimate measurement moment for the Games
The Grand Slam in Tel Aviv is the penultimate measurement moment for the Olympic Games in Tokyo for the Dutch judo association.
Korrel is already certain of his first Olympic participation, Verkerk is fighting with Guusje Steenhuis for the ticket for Tokyo. Steenhuis did reach the resits, but lost to the Croatian Karla Prodan and finished seventh.
Frank de Wit (up to 81 kilograms), Sanne Vermeer (up to 63 kilograms) and Sanne van Dijke (up to 70 kilograms) took bronze in Tel Aviv on Friday. Van Dijke settled in a direct confrontation with Kim Polling, who is her competitor in the battle for a place at the Games.
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