Jorre Verstraeten could not overcome his fear gegner in his second round. The Spaniard Francisco Garrigues had beaten our compatriot after every previous match, and now also in Paris. Verstraeten seemed to be in control of the camp for a long time, but he was put in the golden result. For example – as in Tokyo – he did not reach the quarter-finals.
Be better than you were in Tokyo three years ago. That’s what Yuri Verstraeten was hoping for in Paris.
In the first round in the up to 60 kg category, our compatriot had a good warm-up. Salvadoran Moreno fell on his shoulder a minute later: waza-ari.
A result that turned out to be enough to secure a place in the 1/8 finals. Verstraeten found his fear in this.
That inevitable opponent is Francisco Garrigues. The Spaniard is the current European champion, won the world title last year and has won all four of his previous matches against Verstraeten.
The Belgian knew there was work to be done. So he started his match with great intelligence and calculation. Verstraeten kept up with Garrigos and looked in control. To score? That would not have been possible in normal time.
The result was an erosion of the golden score. Verstraeten tried to enter the ground fight, but after about 3 minutes he was thrown.
That means another exit before the quarter-finals, just like in Japan. Garrigues? He’s gasping for air after his fifth win in five games against Verstraeten.
Verstraeten: ‘Disappointment I have to deal with’
“It hurts, especially because I had the feeling that I could win,” begins Youri Verstraeten. “I felt good in the camp. The chances were definitely there.”
“I was more dangerous than him, but in the end I made a mistake because of fatigue. It’s a disappointment I have to deal with,” he says with tears in his eyes.
Garrigos was free in the first round. Did that play a role? “I don’t think the sequence of fights was the problem. I was actually happy to go into the first fight to get some strength.”
“I showed that my plan worked against Garrigues, but unfortunately I made a mistake. I worked hard for it, and now I have to work a little harder. But I gave it my all, so I can’t blame myself,” the Belgian concluded.
Youri Verstraeten loses to European champions: ‘Of course he’s upset’
Verstraeten was eliminated after the golden result.
Just as in Tokyo, Jorge Verstraeten’s Olympic tournament ended just before the quarter-finals. The Belgian competed against the former world champion and current European champion in the 1/8 final.
Verstraeten started the camp very well against the Spaniard Francisco Garrigues. So the clash became tactical, with both men getting a penalty point, which was delicious.
Our compatriot seemed to have the game under control, until fatigue struck. Less than three minutes into stoppage time, Garrigues threw Verstraeten over his shoulder.
One result, and therefore the end of the games for the Belgian. Just like in Tokyo, it ends in 1/8 finals. For the fifth time in 5 games, Verstraeten loses to the inevitable Garrigues.
Back to Verstraeten!
Ranked No. 5 in the world, 2023 World Champion and European Champion, Jorre Verstraeten now faces a tough task against Francisco Garrigues.
Tough task in the second round
Francisco Garrigues will be Verstraeten’s opponent in the second round. A big challenge for our compatriot, because the Spaniard became world champion last year in the up to 60 kg category. Can Jorre Verstraeten perform stunts?
Verstraeten beats Moreno in first round
Verstraeten passes through El Salvador smoothly.
An excellent start for Jorre Verstraeten on the Olympic tatami mat. The world number 19 is up against number 79 Jairo Moreno.
The Salvadoran looked like a small piece of paper, so Verstraeten wanted to close the match quickly. A minute later, his opponent threw him over his shoulder: Wazari.
What followed was an absolutely wild battle. Verstraeten searched for the ball for several minutes, but Moreno continued to elude him. However, the Salvadoran felt that Verstraeten was impossible to beat. The clock ran out and the Belgian was allowed to go through to the last 16.
Jorre Verstraeten will soon be on mat 2. Will he find ippon against Jairo Moreno?
Starts at 10.15am!
Jorre Verstraeten opens his Olympic mission on the first day of the Games. At around 10.15 am he enters the tatami in the up to 60 kg category.
In his first round he meets Jairo Moreno, a judoka from El Salvador.
In our sport, a five-time world champion can lose to a 100th. That’s the hard and beautiful thing.
Yuri Verstraeten
Verstraeten: “Try to have as much fun as possible.”
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