Lotte Schutjes bears a huge smile on her face as she walks off the judo mat.
The Dutch native won her first match of the Rhine Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games early on Thursday, 24 July in the round of 32 of the women’s -70kg division, dominating her opponent to win in 25 seconds by ippon.
This victory has been a long time coming for the 23-year-old.
“It’s (been) a while since I’ve competed. I’ve been dealing with some injuries, but it’s very fun to be on the mat again and very fun to compete,” she said.
“The first goal was to make the competition (and) actually be here. Second goal (is) to stay in one piece. Third goal: to win some rounds.
“I think I’ve already achieved my goals, but now it’s only up from here.”
Although Schutjes ended up bowing out in the next round, her journey to the FISU Games was neither effortless nor pain-free.
Injury strikes
Schutjes had not competed internationally since last October, instead resting and recovering from a severe knee injury.
“Torn ACL, torn meniscus. (An) operation is still in the cards (at the moment),” she admitted.
For a girl from a small town in south Holland, who graduated from Leiden University with a Master’s in clinical psychology, she did everything in her power to compete one last time.
“I wanted to compete (at the FISU Games) first. It’s such a good opportunity to be here.”
Before the competition, Schutjes said she “just wanted her knee to stay in one piece.”
Although a strong statement, it reflects a recurring truth for an array of student-athletes at Rhine-Ruhr 2025.
Injuries at the highest level of competition are inevitable. But it’s the difference in mental perseverance that makes or breaks an individual.
Schutjes won two silver medals at the European University Games in Hungary last summer, in the individual and team events.
Dealing with such a landslide injury immediately after these accolades meant the Dutch had to lean heavily on her support system.
This network came in many forms during her return, the loudest being teammates from Studentensport Nederland.
“I think it’s so nice to see the orange in the crowd as well. And everyone really supports each other. I love seeing the orange, I think for the closing ceremony, I hope it’s the same again.”
Intersection of psychology and competition
Schutjes’ athletic and academic careers have converged, equipping her to deal with setbacks and allowing her to speak openly about the highs and lows of the injury that blew out her senior career.
“I think being a psychologist, it gives me an extra base to fall back on. I think with the people I know I have around me as well. And as a psychologist, I know how important it is to really rest on your support network.
“Especially when I (found) out about my injury and how bad it was, I talked a lot to the people around me and tried to get it off my chest so I could make good decisions.
“So that has really helped me to be here with a clean mind. I feel balanced for the competition.”
In judo meets, Schutjes is able to walk onto the mat and clear her mind, that’s what she enjoys most about the sport.
But she also finds solace in other aspects of her life, a unique special interest that she shares with her teammates, her love for dinosaurs.
“Oh my god, (my favourite is the) Spinosaurus. Because I think the spines on the back are very impressive,” she exclaimed.
“I think I wanted to study archaeology for quite a while, (but) I switched to psychology at the last minute. I’m glad I did.”
Japan’s Rin Maeda went on to triumph in the women’s -70kg class on the second day of judo competition at Rhine-Ruhr 2025. Other gold medallists on Thursday included two of her Japanese teammates, Narumi Tanioka (women’s -63 kg) and Kaito Amano (men’s 81kg), as well as Adil Osmanov from Moldova (men’s -73 kg).
The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.
Written by Sophie Wisely, FISU Young Reporter, Australia
The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.
We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.