Top judo Cadets needs 3-4 years for senior transition

The top cadets who booked the most victories in the IJF/EJU World Tour are now booking progress in the senior category. In the list of best Cadets some made a successful transition to the highest level. The Cadet judo season kicks off in Fuengirola this weekend.

Recently Italian cadet record holder Elio Manzi claimed a successful silver medal at the European Open in Sofia. Hungarian Szabina Gercsak won the Cadet World title, the Olympic title and added the World Junior title. Last month in Havana she won silver in the Grand Prix as European U23 champion.

Hidayet Heydarov (AZE) won World bronze at Junior level and when he progressed U73kg he took European U23 silver. Heydarov is a nasty opponent for many seniors, ask Sebastian Seidl who lost to the Azeri last weekend at the Grand Slam in Paris.

Just like Gercsak Croatian Brigita Matic won the Olympic title in Nanjing and continued with the Junior World title last year U78kg.

Enough potential for the Cadet who will breakthrough this new season starting on Saturday in Fuengirola, Spain. One of the winners in the Spanish sun city was Odette Giuffrida (ITA) last year’s number five of the Senior World Championships in Astana. It took her five year for this result and just four years between her victory in Fuengirola and her first World Cup in 2014.

Follow the European Cup season with Judo Inside for the finest analysis. Watch the best Cadets in the IJF World Tour history.