Ilona Lucassen Explained

Birth Date:24 May 1997
Birth Place:Geldrop, Netherlands
Death Place:Arnhem, Netherlands
Country:Netherlands
Weight Class:78 kg
Updated:16 September 2024

Ilona Lucassen (24 May 1997 – 12 June 2020)[1] [2] [3] was a Dutch judoka who was part of the Dutch judo team that trained at the Papendal Sports Centre.

Sports career

Lucassen's greatest achievement was in 2018 when she won the bronze medal in the half-heavyweight category up to 78 kg during the Judo Grand Prix in The Hague, competing against Marhinde Verkerk.[4] In 2018, she was part of the team that won silver during the European Mixed Team Judo Championships in Yekaterinburg, Russia.[5] On 13 October 2019, she won gold in the under 78 kg weight class at the Women's Continental Open in Tallinn, Estonia. She also won gold at the Continental Open in Glasgow and Minsk in 2018. During the Junior European Championships in 2016 in Málaga, Lucassen sustained a serious injury, tearing her cruciate ligaments. After a year of rehabilitation, she resumed competitive judo in 2017.[6]

Lucassen pursued a retail entrepreneurship course to prepare for starting a sports business after her sports career. She was preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. In an interview, she mentioned being inspired by the festive celebration of swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband's Olympic victory at the Market Square in Geldrop.[6]

Death

Lucassen suffered from depression and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, she had been unable to practice judo since 15 March 2020. On 12 June 2020, she died by suicide at the age of 23. Due to unruly behavior, she had been suspended from Papendal for three months the day before her death.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Judoka Ilona (23) zag geen toekomst meer: ‘Ze is niet overleden aan corona, wel door corona’ . ad.nl . Lisette van der Geest and Natasja Weber . 7 November 2020 . 8 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221003151357/https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/judoka-ilona-23-zag-geen-toekomst-meer-ze-is-niet-overleden-aan-corona-wel-door-corona~a94421d8/ . 3 October 2022 . nl.
  2. Web site: Judo Ilona Lucassen . sportuitslagen.org . 8 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221001054422/https://www.sportuitslagen.org/ilona-lucassen-judo-spf296924.html . 1 October 2022.
  3. Web site: Judo Bond Nederland - In memoriam: Ilona Lucassen (23) . jbn.nl . 14 June 2020 . 8 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221003221525/https://www.jbn.nl/nieuws/in-memoriam-ilona-lucassen-23/ . 3 October 2022.
  4. Web site: Geldropse judoka Ilona Lucassen zorgt voor enorme stunt: ‘Wonderen zijn de wereld nog niet uit’ . ed.nl . Natasja Weber . 18 November 2018 . 8 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221130082911/https://www.ed.nl/sport-regio/geldropse-judoka-ilona-lucassen-zorgt-voor-enorme-stunt-wonderen-zijn-de-wereld-nog-niet-uit~ac24f6de/ . 30 November 2022.
  5. Web site: Mixteam haalt zilver op EK judo . teamnl.org . 19 July 2018 . 8 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220928001636/https://teamnl.org/artikelen/2018/07/mixteam-haalt-zilver-op-ek-judo . 28 September 2022.
  6. Web site: Geldropse Ilona Lucassen gaat voor de zwarte band . ed.nl . Peter Schoeber . 29 September 2018 . 8 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230203101154/https://www.ed.nl/sport-regio/geldropse-ilona-lucassen-gaat-voor-de-zwarte-band~af8d73cd/ . 3 February 2023.
  7. Web site: Nederlandse judoka Ilona Lucassen (23) overleden . nu.nl . 14 June 2020 . 8 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230709172445/https://www.nu.nl/sport-overig/6057947/nederlandse-judoka-ilona-lucassen-23-overleden.html . 9 July 2023.

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