Illustrative photo – Judista Lukáš Krpálek (pictured on January 18, 2023). On the left is his coach Petr Lacina.
Prague – Two-time Olympic champion in judo Lukáš Krpálek has his arm fixed to his body after an injury from Sunday's tournament in Paris, so he cannot train. An initial examination, including an X-ray, did not confirm any serious injuries, he told ČTK.
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Krpálek was injured in the second round of the Grand Slam in Paris, which was his second tournament after returning to the category under 100 kilograms. While he won bronze a week earlier in Portugal, this time he had to give up a duel with Belgian Toma Nikiforov. In a duel with the sixth man in the world rankings, the Czech representative fell on his shoulder and his opponent landed on him. He also injured his collarbone in the process.
It is not yet clear how long he will be treated. “I now have consultations with Professor Kolář, according to which we will decide on the next step. For now, my arm is fixed to my body and training is out of the question,” said Krpálek.
He needs to collect points for the Olympic ranking at tournaments, to secure participation in the 2024 Games in Paris. After transferring to the old-school category, he started from scratch.
