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GAY JUDO ATHLETE WINS GERMAN CHAMPIONSHIP

LGBT judoka, Timo Cavelius, won his class at the German national judo championships in Stuttgart after finishing second the previous three years.

Cavelius, 26, won the championship by defeating Tim Gramkow, a two-time German champion, in the 81 kg (178-pound class). With the victory and his worldwide success, Cavelius told Outsports that his goal is to earn a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Although Cavelius came out in 2020, he had been out to his family and close friends since he was 15 years old. It took him longer to come out in judo.

“In sport, the topic was taboo for me for a long time,” Cavelius told OutSports. “Not only because I had repeatedly read horror stories in the media about athletes coming out. Judo is also a very physical sport, after all you throw each other around and you’re incredibly close in ground fighting. I was afraid that the others would no longer take me seriously.”

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