The last weekend of September was all about jodo, and this time the 24th European Jodo Championships took us to Bordeaux, France. Jodoka from across Europe gathered in one place to test themselves, gain new experience and, above all, share a great weekend of jodo. Hikari dojo was represented by three members: Vincent in the mudan category, and Adriana and Marian in the godan category. For all three, it was another opportunity to step onto the shiaijo, test their technique against competitors from other countries and demonstrate the results of their hard work and preparation. And that it was going to be a hot weekend became clear immediately after we landed.
When we stepped off the plane in Bordeaux, we were greeted by a surprising 30°C at nine o'clock in the evening. Definitely not the kind of weather we had expected at the end of September! The heat stayed with us throughout all three days, not only outside, but also inside the new sports hall, where unfortunately there was no air conditioning. So, during our intensive training and competition, we got to enjoy a rather generous dose of heat. On the other hand, as we joked among ourselves, a hot sports hall is still better than freezing cold, something we have unfortunately experienced at this important event a few times in the past.
Friday was dedicated to a technical seminar led by Fujisaki Koro sensei, hachidan hanshi, and Miyawaki Seigo sensei, hachidan kyoshi. Unlike in previous years, there was enough space this time for training to be divided according to the different technical grades. This gave everyone a good opportunity to focus on the techniques appropriate to their level while benefiting from the guidance and experience of the senior teachers. The seminar was a great way to get into the right mindset for the weekend, focus on technical details and, at the same time, meet friends from different European countries. The Friday programme concluded with enbu by nanadan and hachidan practitioners, providing a beautiful finale to the first training day and plenty of inspiration for everyone taking part.
Saturday morning began with the opening ceremony, followed by the individual competitions. Vincent was the first of our competitors to step onto the shiaijo. All three of our competitors successfully made it through their preliminary pools, which was already a very positive result and a confirmation of their solid preparation. Adriana and Marian continued through the elimination rounds and made it all the way to just before the semifinals. Although their journey towards the medals ended there this time, both delivered strong performances and gained valuable experience from competing at such a major European event. And then came Vincent's journey through the tournament. He improved from match to match, became increasingly confident and steadily fought his way through to the final. There, he faced a French representative and finished his tournament with a fantastic 3–0 victory. Vincent became the European Champion in his category! A huge congratulations for his performance, focus and ability to improve with every match. This result is a wonderful reward for all the hard work and training that brought him to this moment. We were also delighted to see Adriana receive the Fighting Spirit award for her performance as Uchidachi. It was a beautiful recognition of her commitment, fighting spirit and attitude throughout the competition.
Sunday was dedicated to the team competition. This year, 19 European countries took part, making for another exciting day with a very strong field. The Slovak team consisted of four competitors, three of them from Hikari dojo, and was drawn into a preliminary pool with Sweden and Ireland. After an opening defeat against Sweden, we managed to advance from second place into the elimination rounds. Our first KO match was against Belgium, whom we overcame without major difficulty. In the following round, we faced the United Kingdom, who brought our tournament journey to an end just before the semi-finals. Despite the result, the entire team day was full of energy, support and collective determination. Team competition is special in this respect: every match matters, and every member of the team is fighting not only for themselves, but also for everyone standing beside them. During the team competition, Adriana also received special recognition from Fujisaki sensei. Her performance was full of energy, focus and fighting spirit. She left not only her technique, but also a piece of her heart on the shiaijo. It was another wonderful recognition, one that made Adriana happy and certainly brought a lot of joy to the whole dojo as well.
After a short lunch break, Sunday continued with another long-awaited part of the programme – the dan examinations. And once again, we had a very good reason to celebrate. We are delighted to welcome Vincent as a newly promoted 1st dan holder. His success at the Championships therefore received an even more memorable ending: a European Championship title in the mudan category, followed by a successful examination for his first dan. We are equally happy for Marian, who successfully passed his 6th dan examination. This is a significant milestone on his jodo journey and the result of many years of hard work, training, discipline and perseverance.
The European Championships in Bordeaux were an unforgettable weekend for Hikari dojo, filled with strong emotions and memorable moments. Gold for Vincent, Fighting Spirit for Adriana, a strong team performance, a new 1st dan and a new 6th dan. These are all achievements we can rightly be proud of. But even more important than the results themselves is what stands behind them: months and years of regular training, the willingness to keep working on ourselves, the support of our partners and teachers, and the ability to step onto the shiaijo even when things do not go exactly as planned. Because when you have jodo in your heart, training gradually becomes a natural part of your life. Even on days when motivation is missing, when things become complicated, or when life simply does not go the way we would like, something still draws us back to the dojo. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices, change our plans or overcome our own tiredness simply so that we can put on our keikogi, pick up our jo and practise with our friends.
And perhaps that is one of the greatest values. Motivation does not always bring us to training. Sometimes, it is simply the fact that jodo is already a part of who we are. And then it happens that the days when we least feel like coming to practice become the days when we take some of the most important steps on our journey. Every training session, every match, every mistake and every small success gradually shapes us. And when we look back after many years, we may realise that all those moments when we came to the dojo despite everything were the very moments that created the path we are walking today.
We would like to thank all the members of Hikari dojo for their wonderful representation of our club at the European Jodo Championships in France. It was an honour to be part of an event that brought together some of the finest jodoka from across Europe. And our journey does not end here. We are already looking forward to the 25th European Jodo Championships in Papendal, the Netherlands. It will be a very special edition, as we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the European Jodo Championships. So there is plenty for us to train, plenty to work on and, most importantly, plenty to look forward to.
Thank you to everyone who supports us, and see you in the dojo!
