30 Aug '19
Photo of the week: A fighting spirit
Summary
Fresh from winning gold at the European championships, Flemish judoka Matthias Casse has brought home silver from Tokyo
‘Not satisfied’
It was a tough fight to the end, but Flemish judo champion Matthias Casse had to settle for silver this week at the world championships in Tokyo. The medal will hang next to the gold the 22-year-old brought home from the European championships earlier this summer.
Israel’s Sagi Muki threw Casse for ippon at the 2’39” mark in the final of the men’s under 81 kilogram weight class. “For my age, it’s a fantastic achievement,” said Casse, who also studies chemistry at the Karel de Grote university college in Antwerp. “But I’m not totally satisfied.”
The first two minutes of the final “went according to plan,” he told Sporza, “but after that I was maybe a little too eager to score. It’s details like that that make the difference at the highest level of competition.”
The judoka is expected to represent Belgium at the summer Olympics back in Tokyo next year.
Photo: Du Xiaoyi/Xinhua/BELGA
