Olympic heroine

Polleres enthusiastically welcomed at Austria House

Judoka Michaela Polleres is celebrated.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Judoka Michaela Polleres received an enthusiastic welcome at the Austria House on Wednesday evening after winning the bronze medal. The euphoric crowd waved Austrian flags and greeted the Olympic heroine. 

Polleres appeared at around 10.45 pm and the celebrations could begin. Numerous well-wishers had gathered in the Austria House and were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their Olympic heroine. With her bronze medal in judo, Polleres had secured the first precious metal for Austria at the Summer Games in Paris. 

The Lower Austrian won the bronze medal in the weight category up to 70 kg on Wednesday. In the decisive fight, she won with Ippon against the Spaniard Ai Tsunoda Roustant. It is the second precious metal for the Lower Austrian under the sign of the five rings; she was second in Tokyo in 2021. It was also the first medal for the Austrian Olympic Committee team in Paris.

Would more have been possible?
"I have so many thoughts in my head, it's only now slowly coming together. The fact that it's also the first medal for Austria is really cool," said Polleres. She was really annoyed after losing the semi-final, it was close. "I pulled myself together again and focused. Yvonne said that I can still win a medal," she reported on the speech by her coach Yvonne Snir-Bönisch.

Judoka Michaela Polleres won the first Olympic medal for Austria in Paris.(Bild: AP/APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

The medal was very important because she wanted to prove herself once again after the Games in Japan three years ago, said Polleres. "That I could pull it together again and fight well under all the pressure. I'm just happy that it ended well. In the end, the Tokyo medal put the pressure on once again," said the 27-year-old, whose parents and sister were in the hall. Now she can celebrate her success properly.