Marit Kamps did not succeed in winning a second medal for the Netherlands at the World Judo Championships on Thursday. Kamps, who competes in the over 78 kilogram class, lost the bronze medal match to South Korean Lee Hyeonji.
Kamps knew in advance that the third place would be a difficult task. Her opponent was the number four in the world and has a height of 1.83 meters. Kamps is ninth in the world ranking and is also 33 centimeters smaller than Hyeonji.
After only two minutes, the 24-year-old Kamps was on her back. She lost by ippon and thus missed out on her first World Championship medal ever.
Individually, Kamps has already won European bronze in 2023 and a year earlier she won European silver with the Dutch team. At the Olympic Games last year in Paris, the eighth finals were the final stop for Kamps.
The Netherlands goes home with one medal
Due to Kamps’ defeat, the Dutch team finishes the World Judo Championships with one bronze medal. That was won on Tuesday by Sanne van Dijke in the weight class up to 70 kilograms.
Furthermore, the Dutch judokas could not convince. This has been the case for some time. For example, the Netherlands did not win any Olympic medals at the Olympic Games in Paris for the first time in forty years.
After the disappointment in Paris, the judo association ended up in a crisis. The association received less money from sports umbrella organization NOC*NSF and parted ways with several coaches.
The World Judo Championships lasts until Friday, but there is no more chance of Dutch success on the final day. The Netherlands is not participating in the team event.