We may already be swirling in the excitement of the fast-approaching world championships in Tashkent which begins next week, but in Europe, there are already many, over 250 in fact, preparing for competition this week.
The Celje-Podcetrtek Senior European Cup is welcoming athletes from three continents for the two-day event, the live draw commencing at 20:00 local time.
Among the strong contenders for Europe we have junior success, VARGA Brigitta (HUN) who has seemingly made a tremendous transition this year on to the senior circuit, despite earlier exposure, she now seems to be finding her footing. The -63kg athlete took bronze in the first Olympic qualifier this year in Ulaanbaatar.
For the men, attention will be on the -73kg Bilal CILOGLU (TUR), the senior world bronze medallist in 2021, defeating the likes of Hidayat HEYDAROV (AZE) on his way to the podium. We haven’t seen him on the competition circuit since 2021 due to a serious injury picked up in January which led to surgery and a lengthy recovery so we welcome him back to competition and of course wish all competitors good luck.
To follow the live stream, go to eju.net.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen