After seven more decisions on a second exciting day of competition, the Berlin Junior European Cup 2025 came to an end. In the men’s weight categories athletes from four additional countries with Azerbaijan, Estonia, Turkey und Ukraine secured gold medals for their nations. On the women’s side one German and two French judoka claimed gold. This was the decisive factor in the overall rankings. In the end France finished as the top nation ahead of host country Germany and Azerbaijan.
On both days, none of the top seeds managed to take the title. On day two, only one top seed reached the final: Junior European bronze medalist Adriana SAEZ HEVIA (ESP). In a rematch of the Lignano Junior European Cup 2025 final, where Saez Hevia had come out on top, it was now Emma MELIS (FRA) who had her moment. After 11 minutes and 37 seconds in the longest match of the day, Melis managed to turn the tide in her favor and claimed the Berlin title. With this result, the head-to-head between the two now stands at 1:1, setting the stage for an exciting clash at future junior events later this year.
The final in the -52 kg category was also closely contested. However, Sarah BOTHY (FRA) showed a higher work rate and denied a second gold medal for India with another promising talent in Istanbul Junior European Cup 2025 winner Nungshithoi Chanu LEISHANGTHEM.
The -81 kg final needed extra time as well. But in golden score Erman GURGEN (TUR) secured the victory with a well-executed uchi-mata against Sarajevo Junior European Cup 2025 champion Mihajlo SIMIN (SRB).
An all-Azerbaijani affair was the -90 kg-final: Junior European Bronze medalist Tuncay SHAMIL took control from the start against his teammate Junior European silver medalist and Istanbul Junior European Cup 2025 winner Aslan KOTSOEV. Shamil needed just half the match time to finish the bout with a drop technique followed by a hold-down.
The -100 kg final remained tense right to the end. Lignano and Poznan Junior European Cup 2025 winner Nikita YUDANOV (UKR) took the lead with a waza-ari from an uchi-mata just under a minute before the final buzzer. Lazar ZDRALE (SRB) responded and for a moment it looked like he had equalized. But the landing was scored only as a yuko. And as the clock ticked down, Yudanov took the win.
In the +100 kg category young Marek-Adrian MASAK (EST) stayed cool despite the home crowd cheering for Junior European bronze medalist Mortaza SUHA (GER). Masak had a standout final year as a cadet in 2024: He was crowned Cadet European Champion, claimed silver at the Cadet World Championships and won gold in the +90 kg category at the Berlin Cadet European Cup. He came prepared and was ready to add another Berlin title to his name. After initiating an attack, Masak maintained control on the ground and held Suha down for 20 seconds to seal his second Berlin victory.
And in the lightest women’s weight category, Germany picked up a second gold medal: Helen HABIB took an early lead in the -48 kg final with a ko-uchi-gari. Her opponent Junior Pan American-Oceanian Champion Mariana NUNES (BRA) applied strong pressure throughout the match but was unable to score. In the final minute, Habib added a second yuko with a drop technique and held on to secure the win.
As a judoka from the Ruhr region, Habib also serves as an ambassador for Rhine-Ruhr 2025. She will compete at the World University Games in Essen at the end of July. This will the next international judo event in Germany and the next big stage for Habib to shine.
Helen Habib:
“The gold medal means a lot to me, especially because I won it in front of my home crowd. It was a crowning finale to my last European Cup in the U21‘s. Everything went as it should.”
“I thought the field of participants was very, very strong. That’s why I was a little unsure about my chances. But I tried to think from fight to fight and then it went better and better.”
“My next competition will be at the World University Games, which are now in July. And then of course there are the Junior European and World Championships later this year.”
Author: Iljana Marzok
Author: EJU Media