Belgium is sending two judokas to the Deaflympics in Tokyo: 34-year-old Kevin De Saedeleer (affiliated with KSV Surdac Gent and JC Herzele) and 29-year-old Renaud Malache (affiliated with ESS Mons and JC Namurois). Kevin is competing for the fourth time (2013 Sofia / 2017 Samsun / 2022 Caixas do Sul) and Renaud is competing for the third time (2017 Samsun / 2022 Caixas do Sul).
Renaud Malache
In 2016, Renaud Malache won a silver medal at the World Judo Championships in Samsun, Turkey. During this tournament, he demonstrated tremendous determination and perseverance when he pushed himself to continue fighting in the final match after sustaining a foot injury. In 2017, Renaud achieved an impressive fifth place at the Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey.
Supported by the home crowd in Brasschaat, he surpassed his performance in 2019 with an honorable 3rd place at the European Championships in Brasschaat (-90 kg). In 2021, he then achieved an impressive 5th place at the World Championships in Paris. The coronavirus pandemic brought everything to a standstill, but he continued training for the Deaflympics in Brazil. There, Malache lost his first bout against one of the favorites, the Japanese Yang (who won bronze at the time). Unfortunately, he didn't get a rematch after being eliminated in the first round. In June 2023, he competed at the European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he achieved a disappointing 7th place.
Full of revenge, he wants to erase that lesser performance in Tokyo, the birthplace of judo.
His main opponents are :
Supported by the home crowd in Brasschaat, he surpassed his performance in 2019 with an honorable 3rd place at the European Championships in Brasschaat (-90 kg). In 2021, he then achieved an impressive 5th place at the World Championships in Paris. The coronavirus pandemic brought everything to a standstill, but he continued training for the Deaflympics in Brazil. There, Malache lost his first bout against one of the favorites, the Japanese Yang (who won bronze at the time). Unfortunately, he didn't get a rematch after being eliminated in the first round. In June 2023, he competed at the European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he achieved a disappointing 7th place.
Full of revenge, he wants to erase that lesser performance in Tokyo, the birthplace of judo.
His main opponents are :
- Luka Netiaha (UKR)
- Minseok Kim (KOR)
- Aidos Tugelbaiev (KAZ)
- Hossein Allahkarimi (IRN)
- Alexandre Soares (BRA)
- Mizuki Mondori (JAP)
Kevin De Saedeleer
The 34-year-old Kevin De Saedeleer won a bronze medal at the 2016 World Judo Championships in Samsun, Turkey. At the 2013 Deaflympics, he finished seventh, and four years later in Samsun, he finished fifth. At the 2019 European Championships in Brasschaat, he finished a disappointing seventh in a very difficult weight class. He then achieved an impressive fifth place at the 2021 World Championships in Versailles, France. During the coronavirus pandemic, competition was halted again, but he continued training to improve his fitness. At the 2022 Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Kevin advanced to the next round after a first-round defeat against Brazilian Mobilo. He then lost to Iranian Daftari (who won the gold medal). In the repechage, he lost to Kazakh Kanapiyanov, resulting in a fifth-place finish at the Deaflympics in Brazil. He was then unfortunately eliminated at the 2023 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, by two top judokas (Mozyrev from Ukraine and Brasse from France, both former Olympic champions in his weight class). This was all in the top -73 kg class.
Since 2024, he has switched to the -81 kg class, which he currently feels most comfortable with.
His main opponents are:
Since 2024, he has switched to the -81 kg class, which he currently feels most comfortable with.
His main opponents are:
- Yerkebulan Kanafin (KAZ)
- Patrik Otvos (HUN)
- Raphael Ourednik (FRA)
- Gevorh Hevorhian (GEO)
- Jongwook Jung (KOR)
- Yusuf Celik (TUR)
Both athletes are expertly coached by Michel van Assel (Sensei Judoclub Herzele & youth talent coach at the Judo Vlaanderen sports federation) from Evergem, who has been coaching deaf judokas for many years.
Schedule
- November 16: Official weigh-in at 5:30 PM
- November 17:
- Under-81 kg competition with Kevin De Saedeleer: Qualifying round from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, followed by a final (if applicable) at 3:00 PM
- Under-90 kg competition with Renaud Malache: Qualifying round from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, followed by a final (if applicable) at 3:00 PM
