Feldkirchen: JC Wimpassing shines at state championships

Feldkirchen: JC Wimpassing shines at state championships

An exciting competition of a special kind took place in Feldkirchen, Carinthia, where the Austrian State Judo Championships were held. The JC Wimpassing competed with a strong team that included the talented Lisa Grabner and the young fighters Niklas Weitzbauer, Christian Greiner, Hozan Arslan and Oliver Scharner. This event was particularly notable because Olympic starters Michaela Polleres and Aaron Fara were unable to take part, but the young athletes still showed great performances.

Lisa Grabner provided the highlight of the day by competing in her new weight class up to 63 kilograms. Despite the class change, which is always a challenge, she shined and won all her matches early by ippon. This was her ninth national championship title and sets a strong mark in her career, having already won 17 medals at the Austrian Championships. Grabner has now won her second title in the general class after winning in Kufstein 2019.

Young talents show their strength

18-year-old Niklas Weitzbauer, who has already competed at the Junior European Championships, was also able to hold his own in Feldkirchen. He had previously won a silver medal in the U21 and a bronze in the U23, underpinning his impressive form. He took bronze again at the state championships and celebrated his third national medal of the year.

Christian Greiner, only 16 years old and also a Youth European Championship starter and ÖM bronze medalist, showed a remarkable performance. He underlined his talent with two confident Ippon victories, but had to admit defeat to the eventual winner Thomas Schafetter, a Grand Prix medalist from Salzburg. In an exciting duel against his club colleague Weitzbauer, which was decided in extra time, Greiner showed great fighting spirit.

The two young talents Hozan Arslan and Oliver Scharner also tried their best, but were still unable to record a victory. Nevertheless, their courage and determination shows that they have a lot of potential in the future.

The Wimpassinger judoka's achievements at the state championships make it clear that the club is well positioned and has a promising future ahead of it. These successes are a sign that both experienced fighters like Grabner and the emerging talents are ready to assert themselves in national and international judo competition. For more information about the event and the athletes' performances, see the current reporting on www.noen.at.