Grandstand instead of tatami

Judo lady is cheered on by “noble fan” in Paris

Lubjana Piovesana is one of the red-white-red medal hopes in Paris - her partner Laurin Böhler is keeping his fingers crossed for her on site.(Bild: Instagram/Laurin Böhler)

After the judoka from Vorarlberg missed the Olympic Games in Tokyo three years ago due to injury, the Games in Paris have now also come too soon for the 29-year-old. Nevertheless, he is traveling to France on Sunday and is in medal fever. The reason: his partner Lubjana "Lulu" Piovesana.

"After my injuries, I would now have the sporting level again. In the end, I simply ran out of time to qualify for the Olympics in Paris," says Ländle judoka Laurin Böhler. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old from Schwarzach will be heading to the French capital on Sunday - to keep his fingers crossed for his partner Lubjana "Lulu" Piovesana. "At competitions where I'm taking part myself and have accreditation, I'm naturally very close to her," says Laurin. "But that doesn't always have to be an advantage."

There is definitely no danger of him getting too close to "Lulu" before her competition in the 63 kilogram class this time. "I'll be sitting in the stands with her and my parents and cheering her on," says the "noble fan", who believes Piovesana is capable of winning a medal. "If she has a day like her Grand Slam victory in Baku this year, where she beat the number one and the number two, anything is possible."

And who knows, maybe Laurin will be competing for the medals herself in Los Angeles in 2028. "That's definitely my goal," says Laurin with a fighting spirit.