In advance, the teams of KSC ASAHI Spremberg and the Hamburger Judoteam in the north, along with TSV Abensberg and KSV Esslingen in the south, qualified for the Final 4.
In the first semifinal, KSC ASAHI Spremberg as the North champion and KSV Esslingen as the South runner-up faced each other. KSV Esslingen immediately presented its best team and decisively won with a score of 12:2, emphasizing their clear goal to become German champions for the first time.
The second semifinal promised to be an exciting classic between the hosts, TSV Abensberg, and the Hamburger Judoteam, which was also the 2022 final. A thrilling match with high-quality Judo on both sides and close fights ended, as in the previous year in Hamburg, with a 9:5 victory for Abensberg, paving the way for the highly anticipated final.
Would it be the first time for Esslingen to become champions, or would TSV Abensberg secure their 24th title on their home ground? The first round couldn't have been more exciting and ended with a 4:3 score in favor of the challengers from Esslingen.
Now, the exchange of fates would decide, and both lineups promised hot and unpredictable fights. Everything was still open. Abensberg had the better start, and after the surprising victory at 60kg by Howard against Heyder, it looked like a turnaround. After that, Esslingen fought their way back into the match and ultimately won the final in the penultimate fight with Michael Korrel.
The top fight in the last encounter between world champions Luka Maisuradze for Abensberg (2023) and Davlat Bobonov for Esslingen (2022), which was won by Maisuradze, couldn't change the outcome of the final, but it was a fantastic conclusion to an incredible Judo event. (Final 8:6 for Esslingen)
The new German champion in 2023 is KSV Esslingen. After over 20 years, the team from Baden-Württemberg finally secured the championship title. We look back with pride on a successful season for our IPPONGEAR teams from Abensberg, Hamburg, and Spremberg, representing 3 out of 4 teams in the Final 4, and look forward to the new season full of emotions.
