Alexandra Larisa Florian switches from Romania to Azerbaijan

Romanian judoka Alexandra Larisa Florian switched country to Azerbaijan. The winner of the Grand Slam in Baku fights U52kg where also Andreea Chitu made her comeback. Florian (23) came to an agreement with the Romanian Judo Association. Soon she will make her debut tour in the IJF World Tour.

The transfer to the Azerbaijan is a long prepared agreement, one of the reasons not to compete at the European Championships last year. Florian is happy to be back in the scene.

“I am glad that the Azerbaijan Judo Federation did me an offer. Previously I was also talking to the UAE, but in the end that didn’t work out. Azerbaijan Judo Federation had to agree with the Romanian Judo Federation as well.”

Where you will be living?
“Well foremost I will be living in training camps. LOL. From Mittersill, Paris, Duisburg like this week. And probably sometimes in Germany with Bundesliga club Wiesbaden. I will belong to the army of judo nomads and not have a specific place. But my hometown is Oradea in the north where Mr Vizer is from. I also trained at his club Liberty Oradea. “

So now you changed to Alexandra

“Yes, they gave me A. Larisa as backnumber, but my name is Alexandra-Larisa, but some day I hope they will change it back to Larisa, haha.”

Where we will be seeing you, as it’s about time!

“I will be in action in Prague this weekend and followed by the Grand Prix of Marrakech. I think I won’t be too much in Baku, as I will be travelling a lot and my schedule is planned for the whole year.”

Talent

Florian is a huge talent for years. She won the European Cadet title in 2011 and European U23 title in 2013. In 2016 and 2017 she took European U23 silver. She captured World Junior bronze in 2013 and silver in 2014. Florian won bronze at the Grand Prix in Düsseldorf in 2017 and won more than 10 World Cup medals of which seven in the IJF World Tour. She took bronze at the IJF Masters in St. Petersburg in 2017 and silver this year in Agadir.

The Azeri are building a new team for women to compete well in the Mixed Team competition and previously also taken over Iryna Kindzerska successfully from the Ukraine. Florian and Kindzerska are not the first woman to switch to Azerbaijan. In 2017 Mongolia also lost three (female) judoka to Azerbaijan.

You were not the only foreigner in Azerbaijan right?

“No there were a few Mongolian women and Kindzerska of course. But from the Mongolian women, there’s only one living in Baku, Ichinkhorloo Munkhtsedev fighting U57kg, one category higher.”