Matthias Casse

Matthias Casse was born on February 19, 1997, in Mortsel, Belgium. His journey in judo began at the age of 11, when he started training at the Stedelijk Lyceum Topsport in Antwerp. He engaged in daily training to develop his skills and progress through the ranks of the sport. His early dedication bore fruit in 2017 when he became the junior world champion in Zagreb, marking a significant milestone as the first Belgian male judoka to achieve this title since Johan Laats in 1986. That same year, he earned his first senior-level judo Grand Prix medal, securing a bronze in The Hague.

Casse’s career continued to advance, highlighted by a gold medal win at the European Games in 2019, which also served as the European Judo Championship. In the same year, he won the Judo World Masters. Following his victory at the Paris Grand Slam in 2020, Casse reached the number one position in the world rankings for his weight category. A pivotal achievement came in June 2021 when he became the first Belgian male judo world champion at the senior level, winning gold at the 2021 World Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He also secured a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Throughout his career, Casse has consistently competed at the highest levels of judo, securing multiple medals at World Championships, European Championships, and Grand Slam events. His consistent performance includes silver medals at the 2019, 2022, and 2023 World Championships. He has also earned gold medals at various IJF Grand Slams, including Paris in 2020 and 2024, Abu Dhabi in 2021, Tel Aviv in 2022, Antalya in 2023, and Tashkent in 2024.