Several Belgian kata couples mounted the medal podium at the end of the European kata tournament 'Marcel Clause'. Indeed, back in Louvain-la-Neuve after a two-year hiatus, the ‘Marcel Clause European Competition’ was an opportunity for many Belgian judokas to rub shoulders with the best European kata specialists.
After a first day marked by a 100% Belgian podium in Nage No Kata (U14) and the victory of the duo Elyse Navez-Milan Masy in Nage No Kata (3G) among the U23s, the Sunday tournament saw three Walloon pairs rise to final of their respective category. In Goshin Jutsu, the pairs Yves Engelen and Dimitri Closset from Liège pocketed the bronze.
Better still, Jean-Philippe Gilon and his brother Nicolas logically won the gold medal in Katame No Kata after improving the already high mark they had obtained during the playoffs. “Winning in a European competition is always very satisfying. But doing it in Belgium, in front of a home crowd, is even more fun”, relish the two brothers. “And, in a way, this victory is also our way of paying tribute to the late Michel Kozlowski, who has done so much for us and Belgian kata. »
The competition was preceded by a seminar for referees. Several Belgian judges passed their exams for kata judge licenses.
