The opening day of the Tallinn European Open 2026 delivered exactly what was expected by the home crowd, the day featured word-class judo and fierce duels as athletes made their final statements before the official reset of the Olympic cycle.
The home crowd had a joyful end to the day as the final for the women’s heavyweight was won by Emma-Melis Aktas, who showed her class, leaving no room for doubt as she dominated her weight category. At the top of the medal standings is Italy with one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. The nation showed its strength in multiple weight categories, with more athletes set to compete tomorrow. What is remarkable is that every gold medal was won by a different nation, so spectators could listen to seven different national anthems.
Before speaking with the home favourite, we caught up with one of Belgium’s standout performers on the opening day. In the -73 kg category, Ray Marinx battled his way onto the podium to claim a valuable bronze medal. Following his medal-winning effort, he reflected on his day in Tallinn and the significance of adding another European Open medal to his collection.
Interview – Bronze medal winner of the -73 kg, Ray Marinx (BEL)
Q: You got a bit of an unexpected win against Denis Vieru in the bronze medal contest as he is the superstar here, he’s an Olympic medallist. When you first found out that you would be going up against him, what were your initial thoughts?
RM: He is a great judoka, absolutely but at the end of the day, he is still just a judoka. I knew I had to have confidence in myself. Of course, it was a huge win and a little bit of a crazy experience but I was able to switch my mindset, to just do my judo, go for it, and it worked out.
Q: Your coach Nora Gjakova is also an Olympic Champion who we talked to in the morning. Did any of her advice from the coach’s chair help you secure this result?
RM: Yes, definitely. At first, I was just planning to do my own game plan but then she gave me some specific advice about the grip. I followed it, sensed that it was working, and kept doing it. I am very grateful for the coaching she did today.
Q: With the Los Angeles Olympic cycle starting now and you locking in some medal points today, what are your next plans? Are you officially entering the road to LA28?
RM: I hope so. It is every athlete’s goal to go to the Olympics. I hope that I can start building my ranking up from here, and we will see what happens next.
For the Estonian supporters, however, the standout moment of the day came in the final contest of the women’s heavyweight category. Emma-Melis Aktas rose to the occasion in front of her home crowd, producing a commanding performance to secure gold and send the arena into celebration. Following her victory, the home favourite reflected on the special feeling of winning on Estonian soil, her performance throughout the day, and what lies ahead in the new Olympic cycle.
Interview – Winner of the +78 kg, Emma-Melis Aktas (EST)
Q: Last year’s silver medal left a bit of a bitter taste. When you stepped onto the mat today, how much was that on your mind, or was it a completely clean slate for you?
E-MA: True… but to be honest, I didn’t really think about it. I just went out there today with one simple mindset: I just wanted to win.
Q: You recently achieved an excellent 5th place at the European Championships. How do you feel, did that result give you extra confidence in front of the home crowd today, or did it create more pressure and high expectations?
E-MA: Maybe it did put some pressure on me, yes. When you achieve good results, others start to expect more from you, and you also start expecting more from yourself. So it did affect me a little but luckily I could manage.
Q: Our U10-U16 youth cup winners, who really look up to you, were also awarded on the very same podium. When you were that age, what did you admire or look up to the most?
E-MA: If I’m completely honest, back then I didn’t know much about the elite judoka. I just remember travelling to competitions with the guys, and they would talk about some ‘absolute monster’ in the -73 kg category and that’s why I knew Ono Shohei. However, since I am originally from Elva, my real role model has always been Erika Salumäe, the Estonian multiple Olympic Champion in track cycling, who is also from the small town of Elva.
Q: Now that this tournament is behind you and the final test before the new Olympic cycle is done, what is the most important lesson you take away from here to your journey toward LA28 and what is the next step?
E-MA: If I can somehow learn to calm my nerves, that would be the main thing. Right now, I haven’t quite figured out the formula for how to do that but once I do, things will definitely get better from there. As for the immediate next step, I am heading next to the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam which will be the first Olympic qualification tournament.
Day two of the event will feature the remaining weight categories: womens’ -48, -52, -57 kg divisions, alongside the mens’ -81, -90, -100, +100 kg categories.
Watch all the action live online via JudoTV and be sure to check out the event gallery and both the EJU’s and the Estonian Judo Association’s social media.
Author: Maria-Helena Mettis
Author: EJU Media