Sven Füg Turns Lausanne Setback into Belgrade Gold
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Sven Füg won gold in the L2 over 90 kg category at the Open European Adapted Judo Championships in Belgrade. Sebastian Zamecnik also won gold, putting Austria fourth in the overall medal table on its debut at the championships.
The title followed a difficult outing for Füg at the 2026 Lausanne Adapted Judo Grand Slam. Austrian Judo Federation president Martin Poiger recalled that Füg had apologised for losing in Lausanne. Poiger told him he had nothing to apologise for and that losing was part of sport.
Poiger also recalled how much it meant to Füg to warm up and train alongside Austrian national team judoka Elena Dengg and Thomas Scharfetter in Lausanne. At the European Championships in Belgrade, the Austrian anthem was played for the first time in honour of one of the country’s adapted Judo champions.
Austria’s adapted Judo programme has roots stretching back more than 30 years to the work of Hermann Knap in Hallein. Four clubs are currently active in adapted Judo, and the federation has long worked with Special Olympics. Poiger said the federation wants to bring those efforts together through a more structured national programme, with coach education among its priorities.
Source: EJU.net