JudoCrazy E-Mag (December) | Page 135

Apr 11 French women’s coach Larbi Benboudaoud breaks his wrists doing warm ups with Teddy Riner after the 140kg, 8-time world champion accidentally fell on him. "When I arrived back in Paris I immediately went to hospital where I was operated on. My wrist was like a jigsaw puzzle," Benboudaoud said. He had four pins inserted with his wrist.

Apr 21 Loic Korval is suspended for six months by the French doping authority, for missing three doping tests. This will prevent him from competing in Rio 2016. “I'll be 28 years old. The Olympic Games in Rio are probably the last opportunity for me, to realise my Olympic Dream," Korval says.

Apr 29 Hisayoshi Harasawa is Japan's pick for the heavyweight slot for Rio 2016. It was a tight race between him and Ryu Shichinohe but in the end, the All-Japan Judo Federation chose Harasawa, who has never fought defending Olympic champion Teddy Riner before. Shichinohe has fought and lost to Riner four times.

May 4 South Korea's Olympic and double World Champion Kim Jae-Bum announces his retirement after failing to qualify for Rio 2016. He plans to become a coach.

May 13 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Stephanie Inglis is fighting for her life after being involved in a motorbike accident in Vietnam, where she had gone to teach English for six months. The 27-year old Scottish player is in an induced coma in a hospital in Hanoi, and doctors have warned that due to sustained severe brain injuries, her chances of recovery are small.

Evelyne Tschopp becomes the first Swiss female player to win gold at an IJF World Tour. She defeated Israel's Gili Cohen in the final of the -52kg division through osaekomi. With this victory, Tschopp is likely to qualify for Rio 2016.

Belgium's 39-year-old Ilse Heylen's dreams of going to Rio ends with her failure to medal at the Almaty Grand Prix. The heartbroken Heylen says: "It means, besides a miracle, no fourth Olympic Games for me. My plan was to end my international career in Rio but it ends on May 13th."

May 16 German heavyweight Franziska Konitz, who's qualified for Rio 2016, is quitting judo on her doctor's orders because of an injury to the cervical vertebrae on her neck, which occured at a training camp earlier in the year.

May 22 A documentary called "In the Shadow of Teddy Riner" premieres at the Cannes Film Festival. It charts the life of the 27-year old, eight time World Champion who is aiming for his second Olympic title in Rio 2016.

May 30 Natalie Powell defeats her rival and teammate Gemma Gibbons at the Guadalajara World Masters. This will secure her the -78kg spot on the British team for Rio 2016. Gibbons was the London 2012 silver medallist at that weight.

June 3 Two refugee judokas (both formerly from the Democratic Republic of Congo) will compete under the Olympic flag. The IOC has selected 10 refugees to compete in Rio 2016, forming the first Refugee Olympic team.

Jun 10 The Belgian National Olympic Committee awards an Order of Merit to Ingrid Berghmans, winner of six world and seven European titles. In 2013 she became the first female player to be inducted into the IJF Hall of Fame.

Jun 17 Former World Champion Akimoto Hiroyuki retires after failing to qualify for Rio 2016. He is the son of Katsunori Akimoto, a bronze medallist at the 1975 World Championships in Vienna.