Lukáš Krpálek on the archive picture
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For Krpálek, it is the sixth European medal, the third of its current category of over one hundred kilograms. He last succeeded in 2018, when he triumphed in Tel Aviv. Then he entered two fifth places, including the November Championship in Prague.
In Lisbon, Krpálek had a free ticket as the world number one in the first round of the over 100 kg category. In the second, he came across Alexander Vachovjak, who defeated him at the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv two months ago. This time the Czech representative defeated the Belarusian judoka. In the last seconds of the four-minute match, he got his opponent on the ground and kept him there, so he won on ipon.
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Junior Kopecký scored his first win at the senior European Championships
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The quarterfinals against the bronze medalist from the Prague European Championships, Levani Matiašvili, had a similar course. Also in this match, the Czech reigning world champion had more strength at the last minute. Twice he knocked the Georgians down, and in the last seconds of elementary time he definitely broke his resistance to the tatami.
This cat enchanted Krpálek. What made you a champion?
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In the semifinals, however, Krpálek could not find a weapon for Grol. After a minute and forty seconds, he had two warnings. In the third minute, he failed to react to the Dutchman’s attack, after which he ended up on the ground and the Dutchman gained an ipon.
He competed for Sasson for bronze, whom he has beaten to date in all four matches, including at the European Championships in Prague. Their Lisbon duel was primarily a battle for grip. Krpálek led from the end of the second minute, but about ten seconds before the end Sasson also scored. The 30-year-old Czech national team member did not let himself be decided. He ended the match with a successful roll after twenty-two seconds of “golden score”.
He won his general team at the Olympic Games in Tokyo by winning bronze, he is not going to the World Championships in May. “Satisfaction is huge there. Even from the point of view that it was supposed to be the last match before the Olympics and now there will be only preparation for the Olympics. So the joy is huge,” Krpálek said on Czech Television.
Russian Inal Tasoyev became the European champion. He finished the final with Grol with a throw after 71 seconds and after the silver medals from 2019 and 2020 he won the first European gold.
David Klammert, who, like Krpálek, recently won bronze at the Grand Slam in Turkey, paid extra in the category up to 90 kilograms for a heavy ticket. In the first round he was free and in the second he got the world twelve Marcus Nyman from Sweden, the winner of this year’s Grand Slams in Tbilisi and Antalya. Klammert kept pace with the favored Northerner, 16 seconds before the end, but received a third warning and was eliminated.
He did not meet the ambitious goals he came with at this year’s European Championships. However, this has virtually no effect on the qualification for the Tokyo Olympics. There will be key results at the Grand Slam in Kazan and the World Championships.
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| European Judo Championship in Lisbon: |
| Men: |
| From 90 kg: |
| 1. Bekauri |
| 2. Guiniashvili (both Georgians) |
| 3.Igolnikov (Rus.) |
| a Toth (HUN) |
| …. |
| Brackets (CR) eliminated in the 2nd round |
| From 100 kg: |
| 1. Nikiforov (Belg.) |
| 2. Lipaerteliani (Gruz.) |
| 3. Iddir (Fr.) |
| from Kocojev (Azerbaijani) |
| Over 100 kg: |
| 1. Tasojev (Rus.) |
| 2. Grol (Niz.) |
| 3. Krpálek (CR) |
| and Tushishvili (Georgian) |
| Women: |
| From 78 kg: |
| 1. Pacutová (POL) |
| 2. Steenhuis (NZL) |
| 3. Posviteová (Fr.) |
| and Grafová (AUT) |
| Over 78 kg: |
| 1. Sayitová (Tur.) |
| 2. Fontaineová (Fr.) |
| 3. Slucká (White) |
| a Nunesová (Portug.) |
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