The second and final day of the Conegliano European Open delivered non-stop action from the three lightest women’s weight categories: –48kg, –52kg and –57kg. France took complete control of proceedings across all divisions, putting on a commanding display. Here is how the finals unfolded.
Fourteen-time IJF World Tour medallist and 2021 European bronze medallist Mélanie Legoux Clément (FRA) entered as the clear favourite in the –48kg category. The action kicked off at 1:30 p.m., with the top seed facing Anna Iovino (ITA) in the quarter-finals.
The 21-year-old Italian, who had yet to reach a European Open podium and only once before medalled at a senior European Cup, stunned everyone by catching Legoux Clément with an o-uchi-gari for yuko. With no further scores added, Iovino caused the upset of the day, booking her spot in the semi-finals.
Although Legoux Clément fought back to secure bronze, the draw was blown wide open, and Iovino seized the moment. In the final, she met Marine Gilly (FRA) in a fast-paced, almost dizzying contest. The Italian pressed hard, but as the two-minute mark approached, Gilly took lead with a ko-uchi-gari for waza-ari. With 31 seconds left, she sealed the deal with a well-controlled osae-komi-waza, cementing her gold and making a statement in the process.
It was silver for Iovino but a career milestone nonetheless. The Neapolitan judoka has surely marked herself as one to watch, if selected, ahead of the U23 European Championships 2026, which will take place on her home turf.
An all-French affair awaited the crowd in the –52kg final, featuring Léonie Gonzalez and Léa Metrot. Gonzalez arrived as the 2024 Zagreb Grand Prix bronze and six continental open medallist, while Metrot’s résumé included eight Continental Open medals and a 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam bronze.
On paper, it was an even match, and the contest reflected exactly that. Each picked up a penalty by the halfway point. With less than a minute remaining, Metrot received a second shido, forcing her to press the attack. Her hikikomi-gaeshi attempt, however, landed Gonzalez for waza-ari. In a frantic final few seconds, Metrot stepped out of bounds while defending, conceding a third penalty and handing the gold to Gonzalez.
France’s dominance continued into the –57kg division, producing yet another all-French final between Maëlenn Cotard and former junior world champion Chloé Devictor, both aged 23.
Despite Devictor’s higher pedigree on paper, Cotard wasted no time making her mark. Just 25 seconds into the contest, she executed a clinical shime-waza submission to claim victory and with it, her first-ever European Open medal, that happened to be gold.
By the end of the competition, France stood unchallenged at the top of the medal table with an impressive haul of seven golds, five silvers and seven bronzes. Italy followed with three gold, two silver and eight bronze medals, while Ukraine rounded out the top three nations with two golds, three silvers and one bronze.
France’s clean sweep on the final day crowned a remarkable weekend and an even more remarkable season. As the 2025 European Open Tour draws to a close, anticipation is already building for what promises to be another thrilling year of 2026 ahead.
Check out the full results and photo gallery at eju.net.
Author: Szandra Szogedi