Jessica Gal

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Jessica Shelley Isabel Gal (born July 6, 1971 in Amsterdam ) is a former Dutch judoka . She won four European titles in three different weight classes.

Athletic career

Jessica Gal was the first Dutch youth champion in 1985, and in 1986 she was third in the European Junior Championships in extra light weight. In November 1987 she became Junior European Champion. A fortnight later she competed in the adult class of the World Championships in Essen and won a bronze medal. In 1988 she became European champion by defeating the Hungarian Katalin Parragh . At the 1988 Summer Olympics , women's judo competitions were offered as a demonstration sport. At the Olympic tournament, Jessica Gal lost to the Brazilian Monica Angelucci in her first fight and was eliminated. At the end of 1988 Jessica Gal won a silver medal at the European Junior Championships. After 1988 Jessica Gal won for the second time in 1989 at the Dutch state championships in extra light weight. At the World Championships in Belgrade in 1989 she won bronze again.

At the end of 1989 Gal won the European Junior Championships in the half-light weight category, up to 52 kilograms. In her new weight class, she finished seventh at the 1990 European Championships . At the end of 1990 she won the world championships for students. In 1991 she was European champion with a victory over the British Karen Cusack . At the World Championships in Barcelona , she finished fifth. In 1992 she lost to the British Loretta Doyle in the final of the European Championships . At the Olympic premiere of women's judo in Barcelona in 1992 , she won the quarter-finals against the Portuguese Paula Saldanha . In the semifinals she was defeated by the Japanese Noriko Mizoguchi and in the battle for a bronze medal by the British Sharon Rendle , so that she finished fifth.

After the Olympic Games, the 1.62 m tall Jessica Gal rose to lightweight, the weight class up to 56 kilograms. In this weight class, she became the first Dutch champion at the end of 1992. At the 1993 World Championships in Hamilton, Gal lost to the British Nicola Fairbrother in the semi-finals , and she won the battle for a bronze medal against the Hungarian Maria Pekli . In 1994 she met Fairbrother again in the final of the European Championships in Gdansk, Gal won the fight and her third European title. At the European Championships in 1995 in Birmingham, Gal lost to the Spanish Isabel Fernández in the semifinals , but secured a bronze medal by beating French Karine Petit . In May 1996 Jessica Gal won her fourth European title in The Hague by beating Maria Pekli in the final. Jessica Gal retired without a win at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta .

In 1997 Jessica Gal did not win a Dutch championship title for the first time since 1989. At the European Championships in Ostend, she reached fifth place. In 1998 and 1999 she won two Dutch championship titles, a total of 13 titles. At the 1999 World Championships in Birmingham she lost to the Spanish Isabel Fernández in the semi-finals, and she won the battle for bronze against the Swede Pernilla Andersson . At the European Championships in 2000 , she lost in the semifinals against the French Barbara Harel and won bronze by defeating the German Karoline Kubatzki . Her last major tournament was the Olympic Games in Sydney , where she was eliminated in the round of 16 against Pernilla Andersson.

Jessica Gal works as a sports doctor. She is the younger sister of Jenny Gal and therefore sister-in-law of Giorgio Vismara .

literature

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ European Championships 1988 at judoinside.com
  2. ↑ Volker Kluge: Olympic Summer Games. Chronicle IV. Seoul 1988 - Atlanta 1996. Sportverlag Berlin, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-328-00830-6 . P. 227
  3. ↑ Match balance at judoinside.com
  4. ↑ Match balance at judoinside.com
personal data
SURNAME Gal, Jessica
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gal, Jessica Shelley Isabel (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch judoka
DATE OF BIRTH July 6, 1971
PLACE OF BIRTH Amsterdam