Ilana Kratysch, born on July 6, 1990, is a wrestler from Israel. She achieved the title of vice-European champion in the weight category up to 67 kg body weight in 2013.
Career
Ilana Kratysch, born on July 6, 1990, is the daughter of Russian immigrants who migrated to Israel. Her arrival in Israel coincided with the docking of their ship from the Soviet Union. The family chose to settle in Haifa, where they have resided ever since. Ilana’s introduction to judo occurred during her teenage years, influenced by her father’s profession as a judo coach. However, her time in the army led her to transition to wrestling. Given her relatively advanced age as a novice wrestler, it naturally took her a considerable amount of time to reach the pinnacle of international competition.
She participated in international championships starting from 2007 and secured 5th place in the 2008 Junior European Championships in Kosice in the weight category up to 59 kg. Additionally, she achieved 5th place at the 2010 Junior European Championships in Samokov/Bulgaria in the weight class up to 63 kg. In 2008, she made her debut in an international women’s championship in Tampere, finishing in 10th place in the weight class up to 59 kg. It wasn’t until 2011 that she improved her performance in international competitions. She often got eliminated after losing her first fight. However, at the 2012 European Championships in Belgrade, she secured her first victory in the weight class by defeating Irene Garcia Garrido of Spain and finishing in 9th place.
After her disappointing performance at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she faced a setback. However, following her 10th place finish at the 2012 World Championships in Strathcona County, Canada, she managed to secure a sponsorship agreement with the Canadian Wrestling Association. Thanks to the support of her father and some sponsors, she was able to continue her wrestling journey. Determined to improve, she dedicated five months to training with the Canadian women’s national team at the Montreal YMHA Wrestling Club, under the guidance of coaches Victor Zilberman and Martine Dugrenier.
The immediate effectiveness of this action was evident. Ilana Kratysch has achieved remarkable success, winning five tournaments and triumphing over the reigning world champion in the up to 63 kg weight category, Elena Piroschkova from the United States, during the final match of the Guelph Open in January 2013. Upon returning to Europe, she participated in the 2013 European Championships held in Tbilisi. There, she secured the position of runner-up by defeating Janan Manolowa from Bulgaria and Aline Focken from Germany, but unfortunately, she faced defeat in the final against Alina Stadnyk-Machynja from Ukraine.
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