Portugal Grand Prix 29Jan22.
- Josh Katz’s first match was against Vida (Hungary) who he defeated in 3 minutes with strong ground work using his favoured “Akimoto” turnover for Ippon, His Round of 16 match against Byambajav (Mongolia) was close, at the 3 minute mark with Josh scoring Waza-Ari from a hold down after being 2 Shidos down, both rather harsh. Immediately following this MGL hugged in close and Josh was too slow to shrug out getting caught with a front pickup Uchi-Mata/Utsuri-Goshi. MGL went on to win the Bronze.
- Nathan Katz’s first match was in the Round of 16 against Waizenegger (Switzerland). In the first 20 seconds, SUI turned under for a drop right Sode but lost Nathan’s right sleeve. Nathan stepped over pushing down to block but SUI stood up pulling Nathan’s hand through his legs. It was arguable whether there should be a score; however the referee scored Ippon and this put Nathan out. SUI went on to win his next matches including against An (Korea) former World Champion and multiple Olympic medallist, to make the final. A rough blow for Nathan.
Sarajevo European Open 12Feb22.
- Great effort and performance by Josh Katz to take out a Bronze at the Sarajevo European Open. First match win against Mendes (Portugal) was by 3 Shidos in Golden Score (GS). QF against Gomez-Llorens (Spain) was by Waza-Ari off Ashi-Waza (Ouchi/Deashi) in GS. The SF against Bayramov (Azerbaijan) started well but 1 minute in, the AZE wound in a strong Sode-Tsurikomi-Goshi for Ippon. AZE went on to win the Gold. Josh’s Bronze against Volleman (Netherlands) was a grueling 10 minute (6m golden score) match, and although scoreless, was filled with flurries of attacks from both athletes which ended 3 Shidos to 2 in Josh’s favour for his first European Open medal, adding to numerous Continental Open/Cup medals. A deserving reward for dedication and commitment.
- Nathan Katz also fought his heart out against Pashayev (Azerbaijan) but despite some strong Uchi-Mata and Seoi-Nage attacks looking for the score, was countered in the last 30 seconds of his round 2 match for Waza-Ari. AZE went on to fight for Bronze. Much more to come from TeamKatz.
Warsaw European Open 26Feb22.
- A fantastic result with Josh winning a Silver medal only 2 weeks after winning Bronze in Sarajevo, an amazing achievement and testament to Josh’s resilience and commitment. Both he and Nathan have an incredible work ethic and our team cohesion means we are in synch in terms of goals, planning, process and belief. Sometimes the rewards are forthcoming and sometimes we have to wait, and whilst the road is challenging, travelling it together is reward in itself. The future is bright for both boys and we look forward to their Commonwealth and Olympic Games journeys. Very proud of you both.
In Warsaw, there were 41 athletes in the 60kg division including numerous Grand Slam, Continental Championship and World Junior and Youth Olympic medallists. Josh had 4 wins in 5 Matches, the first in the Round of 32 against Agudoo (Ghana) who had beaten Kuwait. He won this easily by hold-down. Then in the Round of 16 against Maziashvili (Georgia) who had beaten Spain, he won by two Waza-Aris, the first with Tai-Otoshi and then in 50 secs of GS, with drop Eri-Seoi-Nage. In the QF he beat 2018 Youth Olympic Games Bronze medallist Leutgeb (Austria), who had beaten Poland and Spain, by Waza-Ari with drop Tai-Otoshi 3 mins in GS after being down 2 Shidos to 1. The Semi-Final was against Talibov (Azerbaijan) who had beaten Turkey, Kazakhstan and Paris Grand Slam medallist France. With 1 second to go and a Waza-Ari down with 2 Shidos each, Josh put massive pressure on his opponent and let out a huge yell of joy and relief when the AZE was given a third Shido for an edge infringement. This put Josh into his first major international Gold medal match. The Final was against 2019 Junior World Silver medallist, Azerbaijani Yusifov, who had beaten France, Kazakhstan, Canada and Georgia. Josh opened with a strong Kata-Guruma attack. 2 minutes in his Kouchi-Gari was countered for Waza-Ari but Josh’s great groundwork transition resulted in a strong Juji-Gatame (armlock) attempt. High pressure from Josh followed with strong footwork, Seoi-Nage attacks and with a minute remaining almost Waza-Ari scored with Kouchi. Yusifov backed off significantly and despite 2 drops to his face was not penalised beyond the 2 Shidos given. A great effort by Josh showing his endurance and grit. This Silver medal together with his Bronze in Bosnia, are significant milestone improvements for Josh in terms of performance and consistency. They also represent great motivators for both boys moving forward, giving momentum to their past milestone performances of Nathan’s top 16 Result in Tokyo2020, Josh’s top 16 in the 2021 Analya (Turkey) Grand Slam and both boys fighting for Bronze at the 2021 Asia-Oceania Continental Championships. The matches can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir-ILRX_iTQ