The -70kg category delivered one of the biggest stories of the championships, and its heroine was none other than Ecem Baysug (TUR). Unseeded, ranked only #61 in the world, she arrived with little fanfare. Yet step by step, round by round, she tore through the draw with fearless judo and an iron will. On paper, her opponents had stronger résumés; on the tatami, Baysug proved rankings mean nothing when heart and skill collide. With every victory, her confidence grew, and by the semi-final she looked unstoppable.
There, she faced Teophila Darbes-Takam (FRA), the reigning junior European silver medallist. A waza-ari just ninety seconds in set the tone. Despite the Frenchwoman’s desperate push and a pair of yuko scores, Baysug never let control slip from her hands. Darbes-Takam fell in the semis, then again in the bronze medal match, leaving Serena Ondei (ITA) to claim one of the third-place spots.
But all eyes returned to Baysug as she marched into the final against defending champion April Lynn Fohouo (SUI).
The clash was tense and evenly matched. At 3:30 minutes, Fohouo launched her trademark uchi-mata, a technique that usually ends contests on the spot. The crowd braced for the inevitable but Baysug wasn’t finished. Suspended in mid-air, she summoned her te-waza mastery, spun the attack back on her opponent, and drove the Swiss champion down for waza-ari. In a flash, she secured osae-komi-waza, holding long enough to extend her lead with a yuko.
With just 21 seconds left, Fohouo made one last desperate charge. Baysug stood firm. The buzzer sounded. Fohouo collapsed in despair; Baysug sank into gentle celebration, disbelief and joy written across her face.
History had been made: Türkiye’s first ever junior European medal in the -70kg category and it was gold.
After the medal ceremony, a glowing Baysug shared her emotions:
“Happy, so happy. I have been waiting for this for so long. I’m proud of myself, proud for Türkiye. This medal is for my family, my coach, my friends and in the end, for me.
“The final? First time I fought her, but I studied her. In that moment, I knew I could take her over. Hugging my coach afterward, that was the most special moment of all.
“For the future? Step by step: senior level, Olympic Games… and yes, I’m going to the Junior Worlds.”
The second bronze medal went to Eva Ognivova (IJF), who outlasted Sweden’s Ingrid Nilsson. Still, the day belonged to Baysug the underdog who defied the odds, rewrote history, and carved her name into Turkish judo folklore.
Author: Szandra Szogedi