The Netherlands experienced a disappointing day at the Judo World Cup in Qatar on Thursday. Sanne van Dijke, former world champion Noël van ‘t End and Kim Polling were candidates for a medal, but did not come close to a medal.
Van Dijke and Polling both lost in the third round in the weight class up to 70 kilograms. Van ‘t End made it to the quarterfinals (up to 90 kilograms), but Georgian Luka Maisuradze was too strong for the 2019 world champion.
Van ‘t End was then allowed to compete for bronze in the rematches. But in the first game, the number nine in the world fell against the Cuban Iván Felipe Silva, so his World Cup was over.
The World Cup has been disappointing, especially for Van Dijke. The Brabant woman was a favorite for the world title in the weight class up to 70 kilograms and won bronze at the last two World Cups. She won the same medal two years ago at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. She was then the only Dutch judoka with a medal of honor.
In the third round, Van Dijke received her third penalty in a long match against Germany’s Giovanna Scoccimarro, allowing her to go home. Polling went down on ippon against reigning world champion Barbara Matic. It was the first title tournament for the Groningen woman after her pregnancy. Jesper Smink (-90 kilograms) was already eliminated in the second round earlier in the day.
Polling seems to be able to forget Play
Polling faces an impossible task in the battle for a ticket to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris due to her early elimination. The Netherlands may only send one woman and one man per weight category. Compatriot Van Dijke has now built up a big lead over Polling.
While Polling was absent due to a pregnancy, Van Dijke won World Cup bronze and rose to second place in the world rankings. These are important criteria of the Dutch judo association in the selection order for the Games.
Polling can only trump Van Dijke if she is also in the top four of the world rankings before the Games and becomes world champion next year. It is currently unclear whether the World Cup will be held before the Games. Polling is currently 29th in the world rankings, far behind Van Dijke. A race to catch up seems unlikely.
At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Van Dijke was preferred to Polling two years ago. At that time there was no selection order, but a selection committee determined who went to the Games. Polling challenged the decision three times, but the protests were all rejected. Van Dijke subsequently won a medal in Tokyo as the only Dutch judoka.
Polling gave birth to daughter Aurora in May last year. She has been judoing competitively since October. Last month she acknowledged that there was a lot of pressure on her towards the World Cup. “But I am also so happy with this little one,” she put into perspective in conversation with NU.nl. She then said that she wants to continue as a judoka for another two years. The World Cup will last until Sunday.
Judo selection order for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris:
Step 1: ranking in the Olympic ranking (women in top four and men in top six on 28 May 2024);
Step 2: world title between 2022 and 2024;
Step 3: World Cup medal (no gold) and total World Cup medals (no gold) between 2022 and 2024;
Step 4: top eight of sanitized rankings as of May 28, 2024;
Step 5: unadjusted ranking on May 28, 2024;
Step 6: if there is no decision, a fight-off follows between the judokas concerned.