Even the Judo Austria leadership team, Secretary General Corina Korner, Sports Director Markus Moser and President Martin Poiger, were left stunned by the numbers. Demand for the Junior European Judo Cup in Graz (30–31 May) has reached unprecedented levels, forcing organisers to secure rooms across no fewer than eight hotels, three more than originally planned.
The scale of the event speaks for itself. A total of 676 entries from 34 nations have been received by the Austrian office, comfortably surpassing the previous participation record of 511 competitors set in 2023. The first international delegations, including teams from Israel, Canada and Turkmenistan, are expected to arrive in the Styrian capital on Wednesday, 27 May.
Austria will field a team of 51 junior judoka for the fifth edition of the Junior European Cup in Graz. Leading the seeded Austrian entries are Marlene Schinwald (-57 kg), who enters the tournament ranked seventh, and her team and club mate Helena Rottenhofer (-63 kg), seeded eighth.
The action will not end when the competition concludes. A further 39 Austrian judoka from senior, U23, U21 and U18 categories have signed up for the accompanying training camp, adding even more depth to an already packed programme. Among those attending are Lisa Grabner, Maria Höllwart, Laura Kallinger, Carina Klaus-Sternwieser, Magdalena Krssakova, Helene Schrattenholzer, Lisa Tretnjak, Daniel Leutgeb, Alexander Kaserer and Ronald Pröll.
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The Austrian coaching team will also be strongly represented. Alongside junior coaches Jaromir Jezek and Michael Winkler, support on site will come from Lisa Dengg, Martin Grafl, national coach Miguel Ogando Lopes, Bela Riesz and Bernhard Weißsteiner.
The quality of the field promises a weekend of world-class junior judo. Two reigning junior world champions are set to compete in Graz: Nicole Marques (BRA/-52 kg) and Tornike Gigauri (GEO/-66 kg).
The entry list also features 28 athletes currently ranked inside the junior world top 10, including four world number ones: Marques and Gigauri, alongside Laurence Gagnon (CAN/-57 kg) and Dandaru Camillo (BRA/-78 kg).
Competition across the weight categories is expected to be fierce. The men’s -81 kg category leads the numbers with an impressive 97 competitors, closely followed by the -73 kg division with 92 entries. On the women’s side, the -63 kg category stands out as the largest, attracting 52 athletes.
History also offers encouragement for the home team. Across the four previous Junior European Cups held at the Raiffeisensportpark in Graz, Austria has collected 11 medals: two gold medals, secured by Elena Dengg (-70 kg) in 2023 and Carina Klaus-Sternwieser (-52 kg) in 2024, alongside three silver and six bronze medals.
Austria’s strongest showing came in 2023, when Judo Austria finished fourth in the medal standings with one gold, two silver and two bronze medals, complemented by one fifth-place and one seventh-place finish.
With record-breaking participation, world-class names on the entry list and home hopes ready to step forward, all signs point towards Graz delivering its biggest and most competitive edition yet.
Schedule
Saturday, 30 May
Women: -63, -70, -78, +78 kg
Men: -60, -66, -73 kg
Sunday, 31 May
Women: -48, -52, -57 kg
Men: -81, -90, -100, +100 kg
Live stream: Graz Junior European Cup 2026 – JudoTV
Author: Wolfgang Eichler
Author: EJU Media