Witnessing the epic battles of some of the greats is always enthralling and in Tbilisi, on day one of the European Championships 2026, there were plenty of huge names to follow but in the final, it was old rivals Krasniqi and Buchard who delivered an elite spectacle, the highest level of judo on display.
Krasniqi wasted no time in setting up her lead, ashi-waza providing a yuko score and increasing the gradient of the upward climb for the French star; first exchange, first attack, first score.
Not shy on the tatami, Buchard focused on the gripping exchanges, looking to establish her own rhythm and space to attack, but Krasniqi was not willing to entertain it and continued to dominate, controlling pace and distance. She structured her defence expertly, using time, transition and technique to hold off the French double European champion.
As the last minute arrived, Buchard reminded everyone that she is not averse to adaptation and has, at one time or another, beaten every challenger somewhere around the world. She found another gear and began to add a new pressure to the Kosovan’s defence. A strong top grip and several attacks that came close to unbalancing her put Distria Krasniqi in a bad position and she accumulated two penalties. A third looked almost inevitable. However, at this level, forcing the penalties is far from easy and the two athletes watched the clock tick down without any further changes to the scoreline being logged. Krasniqi has her fourth continental title!
The first bronze medal contest featured Ariane Toro Soler and Naomi Van Krevel (NED). In only a minute and a half the Spanish fighter claimed two waza-ari scores, her ashi-waza delivering decisive blows. A ko-uchi-gari followed by a ko-soto-gari made light work of the challenge against her.
In the second bronze medal contest, the incumbent title-holder Odette Giuffrida would be a tough opponent for anyone to face. Two Olympic medals and a world title are just two indications of many during her illustrious career, one she had hoped would take her to her third European title in a row. But it wasn’t to be, a loss against Distria Krasniqi (KOS) in the semi-final, dashing her hopes.
Reka Pupp (HUN), not lacking experience herself, arrived to face the Italian and spared no energy as the referee signalled the beginning of the battle. It wasn’t enough though; the Italian had marked out her territory, even if it did take her 6 minutes to claim it. Throwing for a waza-ari just as the third minute of extra time began, Odette Giuffrida could celebrate another medal-winning performance.
Author: Jo Crowley