On December 6, 2024, the time had come again: the German University Judo Championships took place in Duisburg. Athletes from all over Germany met in the Walter-Schädlich-Halle to compete against each other. With 446 entries from 94 universities, the field of participants was once again impressively large this year. From Karlsruhe, 32 judoka from KIT and other universities competed - motivated to give their best.

Saturday was all about the individual competitions. In the men's competition, there were exciting fights in the -66 kg, -73 kg, -81 kg, -90 kg and -100 kg weight classes. The Karlsruhe judoka were loudly cheered on by the team. Despite the intense duels, some of which were decided in favor of the Karlsruhe team, there were no placings this time. However, the men took the experience positively: Despite the more difficult training conditions last year, the focus was on enjoying the competition and gaining new experiences.

In the women's competition, Verena Buchloh provided the highlight of the day in the -57 kg weight class. After losing in the semi-final, she showed her class in the bronze medal match and won with aplomb. With her bronze medal, she not only brought a podium place to Karlsruhe, but also set a real highlight for the team.

On Saturday evening, there was time to round off the day together. The experiences of the competition were shared and celebrated in a relaxed atmosphere.

On Sunday, the team matches took place again this year. Unfortunately, no team was able to compete for the title of German University Champion this year. However, two of a total of 15 newcomer teams from Karlsruhe took part. Despite the unoccupied weight classes, both teams put in strong performances. Team 1 reached the small final for bronze via the hopeful round, but was beaten there and finished in 5th place. Team 2 confidently fought their way to the semi-finals, where they were defeated and also missed out on victory in the small final for bronze - also in 5th place.

In the end, the DHM Judo 2024 was a varied and sporty weekend. Even if not everyone achieved the desired result, there were exciting fights, great team moments and lots of new experiences. As always, the focus was on enjoying the sport and team spirit.