France’s Blandine Pont showed that her move from -48kg to -52kg is paying dividends. In the final, she controlled Great Britain’s Tatum Keen with two scores from o-soto-gari, using her experience to manage the closing stages and secure her third European Open crown, but her first in her new division. She is back after an knee injury that took her more than a year to recover from. This was her third event since then and this one delivered a great gold medal.
“This is motivating after a tough year with injury,” Pont said afterward. “I will stay at -52kg and aim for Olympic qualification. It’s still a long way, but this is the first step.”
In the bronze medal bout, Lea Metrot (FRA) overcame Alessandra Rocco (ITA) in golden score with a well-timed juji-gatame, while Azerbaijan’s Gultaj Mammadaliyeva benefited from the withdrawal of Tereza Bodnarova (CZE) to secure the second bronze medal.
Lightweight Triumph for Tugce Beder (-48kg)
Top seed Tugce Beder of Türkiye lived up to her billing in the -48kg category. After dispatching Konul Aliyeva (AZE) in the semi-final, she faced France’s Laura Espadinha in the gold medal contest. Espadinha gave the Turkish judoka a strong test but midway through the final Beder executed a sharp yoko-tomoe-nage and transitioned seamlessly into osae-komi. The hold secured her victory, ending a three-year wait for European Open gold since her success in Cluj Napoca in 2022. For Espadinha, it was a fourth silver medal in a continental open final, continuing a frustrating trend despite her consistency at this level.
Italy celebrated through Francesca Milani, who edged Belgium’s Lois Petit in a tight bronze contest. The fight looked destined for golden score until Petit was penalised in the final second, handing Milani her 12th international medal. On the other side of the draw, Aliyeva returned to claim bronze, overcoming Giulia Ghiglione (ITA) in extra time. For Aliyeva, it was her second podium of the season after victory in Sarajevo.
Ophelie Vellozzi Defends Her Title at -57kg
The French anthem rang out again thanks to Ophelie Vellozzi, who repeated her 2024 success in Prague by capturing the -57kg title. Facing teammate Chloe Devictor in an all-French final, Vellozzi capitalised on a ne-waza opening, securing an armlock that forced Devictor to submit.
Olympic medallist Chelsie Giles (GBR), who competed in the -57kg, rebounded from a semi-final loss to Devictor by producing a sharp bronze-medal performance, finishing with osae-komi for ippon. The second bronze went to Shukurjon Aminova (UZB), who edged Binta Ndiaye (SUI) in golden score when the Swiss athlete accumulated a third penalty.
Day two in Prague produced two French gold medals alongside Türkiye’s victory in the lightweight division. For Beder it was a long-awaited return to the top, for Pont a fresh start, and for Vellozzi a successful title defense. France once again underlined its depth in women’s judo, echoing last year’s sweep of all three categories in Prague.
Author: Hans Van Essen