For the French ace, Lila Mazzarino, there was only one plan in Bratislava: defend the title at all costs. Nothing else mattered. Four contests stood in her way, and while three were smooth sailing, there was one moment where things almost got away from her.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t in the final. The real scare came in the quarter-final against Poland’s Zuzanna Banaszewska. Mazzarino was ahead by waza-ari, but in the closing seconds the Polish judoka threw her for a yuko and nearly flipped the script. The Frenchwoman held firm, though, and moved on.
From there, she didn’t look back. In the final she faced world #6 Maria Hanstede (NED). The contest expected to be a test on paper but Mazzarino wasn’t in the mood for marathons. At the one-minute mark she scored waza-ari, then repeated her uchi-mata move halfway through the bout. Two scores, two moments of brilliance, and her third European crown in the -78kg category was secured.
Afterwards, Mazzarino was still buzzing:
“I am very happy with my third European title. I won last year in Tallinn and in 2022 as a cadet in Porec. So this is amazing again. In the next months I am going to the World Championships in Lima and I want to win. For next year, I want to be at the Paris Grand Slam. I am twenty now, so this was my last chance at juniors. We will discuss the ambitions with my coach, Penelope Bonna.”
When asked about her mindset, she didn’t hold back:
“My coach calls me the Machine and that’s my motivation, but my biggest motivation comes from my mum. She follows everything, and also my sister. If I win and become champion, I become champion for them.”
On defending the title:
“I really liked it this time. I was waiting to fight. I am the Machine because that’s my style, be aggressive, dominate, like a machine. You cannot stop me. I am not afraid of my opponents, and I know I can do it again at the World Championships.”
Bronze medals went to Marie Kosnarova (CZE) and Zuzanna Banaszewska (POL). The Polish judoka had already caused a stir by eliminating top seed and medal favourite Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer (GER), proving she’s a name to watch.
Author: Szandra Szogedi