Sven Maresch fights his last international event in Rome

Sven Maresch has announced his retirement from judo. This weekend in Rome he will fight his final contests at the international level; 2017 is his last year as an internationally competitive judoka. The 30-year-old judoka has selected The European Open of Rome as his closing individual event.

“This weekend I will fight on my last individual tournament in Rome but I will continue to fight the German league for TSV Abensberg this season until the end. Thanks to my team mates and all the athletes, coaches and persons with whom I was in touch. I shared all these experiences and moments of emotion with them in 25 years of judo! All the best for you and the sport of judo!”

Maresch had a 12-year international career and won his first appealing junior results in 2005. For twelve years he fought in the U81kg catagory. In 2006 he won the European Junior title. With his first German title in 2008, he took silver at the European U23 Championships. Maresch was always developed consistently to a higher level; after only one year, he converted silver into European U23 gold. At the age of 23, he won his first World Cup in Rome, where his international senior success began. It was his biggest breakthrough and shortly thereafter he won the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. Maresch settled into the international scene and in 2011 he won the Grand Slam in Moscow. With the German team and his club, TSV Abensberg, he contributed to various international medals, including European gold in Istanbul. However, World and European Championships were not in the cards until 2014, when he finally took a European bronze medal. 

Maresch won four IJF World Tour events and three German titles, but this weekend he says goodbye to the world of international judo.