Frenchwoman Romane Dicko won the gold medal in the +78kg category at the Baku Grand Slam, this Sunday February 18. This is the only coronation for the Blues during this 2024 edition, who nevertheless won three silver medals thanks to Luka Mkheidze (-60 kg), Marie-Ève Gahié (-70 kg) and Daikii Bouba (-66 kg ).
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At the end of a Baku Grand Slam which was not easy for the French judokas, Romane Dicko finally won the only French gold medal of this 2024 edition by dominating the Italian Asya Tavano in the +78kg final. The Frenchwoman took her revenge on an opponent she has already faced and who had defeated her by surprise at the 2023 Worlds.
Leader of the French team in the absence of Teddy Riner and Clarisse Agbégnénou, the bronze medalist at the Tokyo Games in 2021 has assumed her status as world number one in the +78 kg category. During the weekend, Dicko dispatched his first two fights in 38 then 28 seconds, before having a little more difficulty in the semi-final against Elis Startseva, a young Russian fighting under a neutral banner, settling for a waza -ari. In the final, she had to wait for a third penalty received by her opponent to win the golden score.
World champion in 2022 and European champion last November, Romane Dicko is full of confidence with her title won at the Paris tournament and her coronation in Baku. The Frenchwoman now turns to her main goal: Olympic gold in Paris next summer, which she won in teams in 2021 in Tokyo but not yet individually.
Mkheidze, Gahié and Bouba in silver
Also winner in Paris and reigning European champion, Luka Mkheidze (-60 kg) lost in the final against the Russian Ramazan Abdulaev, Friday February 16. Already selected for the Games, he confirms that he is a serious contender for the Olympic coronation at the Arena Champ-de-Mars this summer.
Marie-Ève Gahié, double reigning European champion in the -70 kg category, also collected silver by falling in the final on Saturday February 17 against Croatian Barbara Matić, current number one in the Olympic rankings. Barred for the Olympics by Walide Khyar, Daikii Bouba also won the silver medal in the -66 kg category by falling in the final against the Spaniard Alberto Gaitero.
Ten French judokas have already been selected for the Paris Olympic Games, while four places still remain to be filled: one for women (-78 kg) and three for men (-73 kg, -90 kg and -100 kg) . In the -78 kg category, the advantage is clear in favor of Madeleine Malonga, who beat her rival Audrey Tcheuméo in Paris. Both were not present this weekend in Azerbaijan.
On the other hand, uncertainty is greater among men. In -73 kg, Joan-Benjamin Gaba finished without a medal and seems to be one step behind Benjamin Axus, the highest ranked Frenchman in this category but also absent this weekend. In -90 kg, another undecided category, Alexis Mathieu lost his fight for bronze in Baku and perhaps missed his chance against Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou, bronze in Paris two weeks ago. Mass seems to have been said, however, for veteran Axel Clerget, 36, who left prematurely in both Paris and Baku.
In -100 kg, another category without a French leader, it is the status quo after the journey of the only entry Aurélien Diesse, winner of the 6th Israeli world Peter Paltchik but swept away by the Serbian Bojan Dosen. The Federation, which wants to complete its delegation quickly, must announce after Baku a second and perhaps final tour of selected players.
(With AFP)