25 November: Today's judo history in perspective

Neil Adams becomes third at the Jigoro Kano Cup in Tokyo of 1978. Kazuro Yoshimura is the best in the U71 category. Many national championships are held in today’s history. In 2000 Portuguese Joao Pina wins his first of multiple championships. In the women’s U52 Paula Saldanha is successful for the 8th time (of nine).

She begins this series in 1992. The year in which she competes as 20 year old at the Olympic and becomes 7th. Still this is her best achievement she finds, despite a European Championships final in 1999.

In the 1995 Hungarian Championships, Botond Tolgyesi beats his younger brother Krisztián U78 kilogram. In 1998 Krisztián wins U81 kilogram of Botond. Later Botond decides to move up a weight category.

At the European junior championships in Jerusalem in 1992, Dutch Deborah Gravenstijn won the under 61 kgs title. She took the gold beating the Sydney Olympic Champion Séverine Vandenhende (FRA). Gravenstijn however will later change to the U52 for the Sydney Games and another bronze medal. In Athens in 2004, Gravenstijn won a further bronze, again at another weight when she lost the U57 semi-final to Olympic Champion Yvonne Bönisch (GER). Gravenstijn has said she will try for the elusive gold at Beijing in 2008, possibly at under 48 or under 70 kgs!