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Judoka Anna-Maria Wagner
Photo: ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP
The German judoka Anna-Maria Wagner was crowned the new world champion six weeks before the start of the Olympic Games and underlined her claim to a medal for the games.
The 25-year-old prevailed in Budapest in the World Cup final against the French world number one Madeleine Malonga and secured the second medal for the German Judo Association (DJB).
It was the first world championship medal for Wagner, who was third in the world rankings.
"This is an amazing story," said DJB President Daniel Keller: "Judo Germany is in a state of excitement, it hits like a bomb."
In an even fight, Wagner won with Waza-ari, after Ippon, the second best rating in judo.
DJB sports director Hartmut Paulat saw "a clear increase compared to the previous world championships, which also makes us optimistic about the direction of the Olympic Games".
First women's world title since 1993
The Tokyo Games start on July 23rd.
Most recently, Johanna Hagn won World Cup gold for Germany in 1993.
The last German men's world title was won by Alexander Wieczerzak in 2017.
Wagner had mastered her opening hurdle Erdenet-Od Batbayar (Mongolia) and then fought his way to the quarter-finals against Antonia Schmelewa (Russian Judo Association).
There she beat Marhinde Verkerk (Netherlands) before she also got the upper hand against world number five Mami Umeki.
Wagner's Olympic competitor in the weight class up to 78 kilograms, Luise Malzahn, lost to the Japanese Umeki Maki in the quarter-finals and also missed the bronze medal through the consolation round.
In the men's category, Karl-Richard Frey failed in the weight class up to 100 kilograms in his second fight against the Serb Bojan Dosen.
Theresa Stoll won the first World Championship medal for the German Judo Association with bronze in the class up to 57 kilograms.
The title fights in Budapest are the last dress rehearsal for the German judokas before Tokyo.
The DJB wants to announce its final Olympic line-up on June 15.
bka / dpa / sid
