WALDENBURG STARTS 2020 WITH BRONZE

Devin WALDENBURG won bronze at the “Trofee van de Donderslag” in Belgium last weekend. It was not only his first event of 2020 but also the first event in his new weight division, the -66 kg category.

The 23-year-old judoka had a bye in the first round which followed with a contest against his Dutch opponent, where he first scored by a Kata Guruma throw and followed with a counter attack to conclude his contest. His third round was also against a Dutch judoka. After a minute, Waldenburg saw an opening to attack with Sode Tsuri Komi Goshi which scored for waza ari. Further into the contest, he repeated a successful entry, which then send him through to the semi finals.

The semis brought a contest against 37-year-old German judoka, where Waldenburg was defeated in Golden Score [extra time]. His fight for bronze against saw yet another Dutch judoka. During the medal contest, the Jamaican judoka came up with a counter attack against an Uchi Mata attempt from his opponent. To secure his win, Waldenburg ended his bronze victory with an Osei Komi Waza.

Devin Waldenburg after his medal ceremony;

"This tournament was great to fight at and in my new weight category, up to 66kg. The opponents were strong and my succeed against them gives me a pretty good feeling for Paris Grand Slam, which is an Olympic qualifying event. My next tournament will be in the city of Vise. That's one week before Paris Grand Slam. After this I am well prepared to chase my points for the Olympic qualification."