Judo

No league start as a constant in Salzburg

The Straßwalchen judokas (Daniel Herzog on the left) will not be competing in the national league for the next three years.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

JU Flachgau is the third team from the province of Salzburg to withdraw from the sport within 17 months. The local scene, which has been blessed in terms of club strength to date, is hoping that talented youngsters will move up.

Although the promoted team reached the final tournament in 2023, the PSV Salzburg judokas immediately withdrew from the 1st Bundesliga. After the relegation of Pinzgau, only Sanjindo Bischofshofen and JU Flachgau remained. In winter, the Sanjindo ladies also threw in the towel due to a lack of personnel. And just one and a half weeks before the start of the league, the Flachgau men also withdrew. Strasswalchen manager Karin Dorfinger admits: "Two weeks ago, I would have said that we would definitely be there."

Burning out youngsters is not a solution
Since then, the unplanned departure of the coach (for professional reasons), other ideas of a legionnaire regarding the weight class and the stay abroad of fixed force Daniel Herzog got in the way. "If you can't fill all the classes, you're constantly paying penalties. Burning out youngsters who are not yet ready to fight top international fighters is not a solution for us either," explains Dorfinger.

"Out of 500, you bring one up"
A fact that PSV boss Ronny Tiefgraber understands well. "It's difficult to fill the league dates in an individual sport. Our SSM students weren't ready yet either, so we had to suspend them." The legionnaire option is also often not a reliable alternative due to suspensions before international assignments. "The talent doesn't grow out of the ground. Out of 500, you might bring one up," emphasizes Tiefgraber.

While his club is back in the 2nd division this year, Flachgau is locked in "at the top" for three years. But: "We had that in the 1990s too," says Dorfinger. After that, the legendary team's high began with eight titles in eleven years. In the women's competition, where there are only two rounds this year in May and September, "PSV Flachgau" - a mix of both clubs - will compete.