The IPPON GEAR team will be strongly represented in Tokyo as we will have 40 athletes from 22 different countries fighting for our team. And what a team of athletes it is.
Lukas Krpalek will lead the IPPON GEAR team as the current Olympic Champion. However, in Tokyo he will have to try and take the Olympic Title from Teddy Riner in +100 kg and we are so excited to see him fight for it.
From Belgium, we have the newly crowned World Champion in -81 kg, Matthias Casse, who’s been proving himself the last 5 years. He stumbled across a few challenges beginning of this year, but with his hard work and persistence, he managed to climb up on the podiums again and clinching the Gold in Budapest at the Worlds. His teammate Jorre Verstraeten, also a very successful athlete, will fight in -60 kg category and will surely also be a medal contender.
Tommy Macias, the first Vice World Champion of Sweden, will try to write more history and become the first Olympic Judo medallist in Sweden’s history. The rest of the Swedish team including Anna Bernholm, Marcus Nyman and Robin Pacek also have the capabilities to reach the podium.
In the same category, Bilal Ciloglu, former Junior World Champion will try to win a medal for Turkey (-73 kg), like he did at the recent World Championships in Budapest.
The Hungarians always have a great team of contenders. Krisztian Toth and Hedvig Karakas are leading the team. Both Hungarians have competed at the Olympic Games before and will try to get their long awaited Olympic medal.
Anna Maria Wagner of Germany has been on a golden path in 2021, latest when she clinched the World Championship title in Budapest last month. Anna is on a mission for Gold in her first Olympics. Her teammate Martyna Trajdos, former world medallist, will compete at her second Olympic Games and try to earn her spot on the podium. After being in the Top of -63 kg for many years, the odds are in her favour.
In -70 kg, the IPPON GEAR team is looking strong. Other than Swedish Anna Bernholm, we have newly crowned World Champion Barbara Matic leading the way. She will try to write even more history for Croatia. Following Barbi, we have Dutch Sanne Van Dijke who definitely is on a medal path too. Van Dijke won bronze at Worlds this year where Michi Polleres grabbed the other bronze. 4 fighters with a clear chance for an Olympic medal.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will for sure be a special one for our team and we are so proud of all our athletes that have helped us grow and represent us so far.
BRING ON TOKYO!
All IPPON GEAR Olympic competitors:
60 kg
Ashley McKenzie – Great Britain
Jorre Verstraeten – Belgium
66 kg
Sebastian Seidl - Germany
73 kg
Tommy Macias - Sweden
Bilal Ciloglu - Turkey
81 kg
Matthias Casse - Belgium
Attila Ungvari - Hungary
Shamil Borchashvili - Austria
Robin Pacek - Sweden
90 kg
Krisztian Toth - Hungary
Marcus Nyman - Sweden
Komronshokh Ustopiriyon - Tajikistan
David Klammert – Czech Republic
Robert Florentino – Dominican Republic
100 kg
Grigori Minaskin - Estonia
Mikita Sviryd - Belarus
Miklos Cirjenics - Hungary
+100 kg
Lukas Krpalek – Czech Republic
Stephan Hegyi - Austria
48 kg
Geronay Whitebooi – South Africa
52 kg
Reka Pupp - Hungary
Kristine Jimenez - Panama
57 kg
Hedvig Karakas - Hungary
Sabrina Filzmoser - Austria
Justine Bishop - New Zealand
63 kg
Martyna Trajdos - Germany
Magdalena Krssakova - Austria
Szofi Ozbas - Hungary
Laerke Olsen - Denmark
70 kg
Sanne van Dijke - Netherlands
Barbara Matic - Croatia
Michaela Polleres - Austria
Anna Bernholm - Sweden
Maria Perez – Puerto Rico
Elisavet Teltsidou - Greece
78 kg
Anna Maria Wagner - Germany
Beata Pacut – Poland
Bernadette Graf - Austria
Karla Prodan - Croatia
+78 kg
Hortence Vanessa Mballa Atangana - Cameroon
