The first day of the U23 European Judo Championships delivered everything the sport stands for: courage, precision and heart. Across the men’s divisions, Europe’s brightest young talents stepped onto the tatami to announce themselves as the next generation of champions.
22 Years in the Making
The -60kg final held the promise of history for Armenia, with all eyes fixed on Vahe Aghasyan (ARM). His final bout against Mate Gogoberishvili (GEO) began with measured, tactical exchanges from both judoka. Aghasyan seized the decisive moment when he countered a loose ashi-waza attempt to score waza-ari, taking the lead with just over ten seconds left on the clock. Gogoberishvili launched one last desperate attack but was unable to turn the contest around and settled for silver.
Armenia’s previous U23 European gold dated back to the very first edition of this tournament in 2003, twenty-two years later, Aghasyan brought glory back home.
Ksawery Ignasiak (POL) claimed the first bronze after overcoming Pietro Andreini (ITA), while Olivier Naert (BEL) secured the second bronze following a chaotic and prolonged golden score battle against Maxime Ignaczak (FRA).
One Word: Spectacular
The -66kg final between Islam Rahimov (AZE) and Jochem Van Harten (NED) was pure theatre. The Dutchman struck early with a beautifully executed o-soto-gari, scoring waza-ari within the opening minute. At 1:30, the crowd witnessed what was arguably the most magnificent exchange of the day, an explosive clash that had everyone holding their breath, unsure who would land first but certain it would be a massive throw.
In a move reminiscent of the famed “Georgian style,” Rahimov turned the tide, twisting Van Harten in mid-air to score waza-ari before swiftly transitioning into ne-waza and securing the win with an osae-komi for ippon.
Elsewhere, Alessio De Luca (ITA) and Nazar Viskov (UKR) produced one of the most dramatic bronze medal contests. Viskov held the lead for nearly the entire bout, but with just 40 seconds remaining, De Luca unleashed a breathtaking ura-nage, throwing his opponent for ippon. Moments later, his teammate Accogli added another Italian bronze with a clean kata-guruma against Simas Polikevicius (LTU).
The Third Man to Deliver
Ioan Dzitac (ROU) capped off the day with a spectacular performance in the -73kg final against Mate Beruashvili (GEO). Although the Georgian took an early lead, Dzitac rallied brilliantly to claim victory, becoming only the third Romanian judoka ever to win this title, following Lucian Bors Dumitrescu (2021) and Dan Fasie (2006).
The 22-year-old Romanian reflected emotionally on his triumph:
“Winning this gold medal feels like a dream come true, a goal accomplished after so much work, discipline, and sacrifice. From the very beginning, my only goal was to fight as best as I could, to follow every step I had prepared for, and to trust that the result would come and it did. Standing on top of the podium, hearing the anthem, it’s a feeling beyond words, a mix of pride, relief, and deep emotion. I am proud to have represented my country, proud of what I achieved, and grateful for everyone who supported me along the way. This medal means more than just victory; it’s a piece of my journey, and I dedicate it to my father, who sees me from above. I know he would be proud.”
Both bronze medal contests in this category were equally intense. In one, Sos Hacatrjan (SRB) managed to snatch victory from Szabó Áron (HUN) with just four seconds remaining, catching him in ne-waza and holding him for ippon after a dramatic 20-second countdown. Meanwhile, on the neighbouring mat, Otari Kvantidze (POR) delivered a commanding performance to defeat Giorgi Loladze (GEO) in similar fashion.
Day two kicks off at 10:00 a.m. local time, catch every moment live on judotv.com!
Author: Szandra Szogedi