Hückeswagen judoka celebrate success at the Special Olympics tournament!

Hückeswagen judoka celebrate success at the Special Olympics tournament!

On the last Saturday in September, the 18th Special Olympics North Rhine-Westphalia state judo tournament took place in the Essen-Kupferdreh sports hall. 115 judoka with mental disabilities from 19 clubs and institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia and two clubs in the Netherlands took part. The event was held as a “recognition tournament” for the Special Olympics Germany 2026 national summer games in Saarland and some exciting fights were guaranteed.

JC Mifune from Hückeswagen traveled with a delegation of three judoka and three supervisors. Particularly noteworthy is the strong performance of Daniel Mann, Ben Musaeus and Robin Leisen. These fighters competed in the weight classes up to 66 kilograms and up to 73 kilograms. Daniel Mann and Ben Musaeus fought against each other in the class up to 73 kilograms and had a thrilling competition that lasted the full three minutes and ended without a score. After a decision by the referee, Daniel was declared the winner.

Achievements of JC Mifune

JC Mifune returned to Hückeswagen with a total of two gold and one bronze medals. Daniel Mann secured first place in his weight class with five wins and showed that he is a real talent on the mat. Ben Musaeus took third place and also performed well with three wins, with two judges' decisions going against him. Equally impressive was Robin Leisen, who triumphed in the fights in the class up to 66 kilograms and also took first place.

The competitions were accompanied by a ceremonial setting in which the Special Olympics flag was raised and the athlete's oath was pronounced by Timo Karmasch. Jörg Braut, President of the North Rhine-Westphalia Judo Association, was present and praised the smooth running of the event and the fighting performance of the athletes.

Competition classes and results

The fighters were divided into three classes, divided according to the type and severity of the disability. While in competition class 3 there were also fights on the ground, the fighters in competition class 1 concentrated exclusively on standing techniques. This division ensured that every athlete could compete against every opponent, which increased the tension and drama.

• Wettkampfklasse 1:
  – Bis 73 kg: 1. Jochen Drescher, 2. Taner Seyhan, 3. Andre Conen
• Wettkampfklasse 2:
  – Bis 73 kg: 1. Daniel Mann, 2. Oliver Greday, 3. Ben Musaeus
• Wettkampfklasse 3:
  – Bis 30 kg: 1. Noel Becker, 2. Mark Barkowski, 3. Musa Yavuz

The final fights of the tournament ended shortly before 3:00 p.m., followed by a celebratory award ceremony where the medals were presented by Jörg Braut. Plans have already been made for the future: Next year, another Special Olympics North Rhine-Westphalia judo tournament will take place in Essen on September 26, 2026.

When asked whether JC Mifune will take part in the national summer games in 2026, the answer remains exciting. What is certain, however, is that the judokas from Hückeswagen want to continue to be active and build on their successes.

You can find more information about this tournament at RP Online, NWJV and BRSNW.