Aschwanden is new European Judo champion.
Switzerland has a new European judo champion. The 24-year old Sergei Aschwanden from Bussigny, in canton Vaud, has taken the gold medal in the under 81kg class at the European championships in Wroclaw, Poland.
Aschwanden was already assured of a ticket to the Olympics in Sydney in four months time before the championships started. But his win was made all the more impressive by his having to compete with an injury. Aschwanden is still recovering from an operation on his right wrist at the beginning of the year.
Two other Swiss have also booked their places in Sydney. David Moret from Geneva finished seventh in the under 60kg class, and Isabelle Schmutz from canton Vaud also made sure of her place in the Olympic team in the under 52kg class.
But another Swiss, Monika Kurath, was not so lucky. She finished fourth in the under 48kg event but only sixth in the overall European standings. Only the top five women and top nine men in each weight class qualify for Sydney.
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