As the competition unfolded, each match felt like a world championship final, with as many confirmations as surprises. This evening, we are happy to have attended an exceptional event, in an atmosphere worthy of the greatest world level competitions and we already want more.
In the five categories entered today, being world champion did not guarantee a place in the final block and, even less, a place on the podium. How can it be otherwise when there are more than two world champions in the same category, which happened more than once during the weekend?
All the delegations that were present in Budapest are already looking to the future and the future is Paris 2024. There are still several months before the Olympic rendezvous but everyone knows that the time will fly at lightning speed. So the 2023 Masters is and will be an important element of the preparation and the strategy that will be put in place.
Starting tomorrow, brains will be boiling within the national teams. In less than a year, there will only be 14 new Olympic champions, while the number of contenders is much higher. Who will win the grail? We will know soon, with a bit of patience.
The World Judo Masters 2023 was therefore a great success both sportingly and organisationally. The Hungarian Judo Association has once again demonstrated its professionalism, offering a show worthy of the name and thus proving that the country is one of the biggest organisers of sporting events in the world.
Many VIPs were welcomed in Budapest and were able to enjoy the show, including Her Imperial Highness Princess Tomohito of Mikasa, judo ambassador, who stayed for a long time today, seated at the technical tables, to soak up the action.
Judo legend Shohei Ono, who has just retired from competition, was also there and he obviously took great pleasure in discovering the Masters from another angle.
It was the 12th edition of the Masters and in a couple of weeks the world circuit will stop in Croatia for its grand prix and already we will count only months before Paris 2024. Relive all the action of the Masters and discover the many programmes of the IJF at https://judotv.com/