Kazan Judo preview U100kg: Who will shake up the elite?

The category U100kg at the European Championships in Kazan can be one of the most interesting ones with new energy from Beka Gviniashvili of Georgia which can shake up the settled judoka such as Dutch European Champion Henk Grol, or 2014 World Champion Lukas Krpalek. Both judoka face a tough time and a good result will launch them for Rio, but if they get the chance is the question.

Elmar Gasimov is the highest seeded athlete in Kazan, in a pool with home fighter Niiaz Bilalov of Russia, Double Olympic medallist Henk Grol and new kid Beka Gviniashvili in a sincere pool of death.

Pool B with Dimitri Peters and Martin Pacek seemed more clear to predict.Lukas Krpalek will face Grigori Minaskin who’s in shape and dangerous Russian outsider Adlan Bisultanov who will have to fight 2013 World Champion Elkhan Mammadov.

In Pool D Cyrille Maret may face dangerous hungry Dutchman Michael Korrel who fights the growing Frederik Joergensen of Denmark. Toma Nikiforov should be the man for qualify for the quarter final but with talents such as Zlotko Kumric things can get tricky.

Missing is Germany’s Karl-Richard Frey, Jorge Fonseca of Portugal and obviously Olympic champion Tagir Khaibulaev of Russia.

Last year’s winner of the European Games in Baku were:

Henk Grol (NED)

Lukas Krpálek (CZE)

Cyrille Maret (FRA)

Toma Nikiforov (BEL)

This Olympic cycle European Champions

2015      Henk Grol (NED)

2014      Lukas Krpálek (CZE)

2013      Lukas Krpálek (CZE)

2012      Ariel Zeevi (ISR)

European athletes in the IJF World Ranking

1             Elmar Gasimov (AZE)

2             Lukas Krpálek (CZE)

3             Karl-Richard Frey (GER)

4             Cyrille Maret (FRA)

6             Dimitri Peters (GER)

7             Martin Pacek (SWE)

8             Toma Nikiforov (BEL)

Watch the best European athletes in this class