Every championship stage offers judoka from across the continent a chance to shine, from established stars to emerging contenders eager to announce themselves.
At the 2026 European Judo Championships in Georgia, a new generation sent that message loud and clear.
Israel’s Izhak Ashpiz set the tone on the opening day in the men’s -60kg category, capturing his first continental medal. The 18-year-old impressed early, defeating France’s Romain Valadier Picard in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual European champion Luka Mkheidze in the semifinals. The cadet world and European champion rebounded decisively, overcoming Ukraine’s Dilshot Khalmatov for bronze to secure a place on his breakout podium.
France’s depth was equally evident through two more talents, Dayyan Boulemtafes in the -73kg division and Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou at -90kg.
Boulemtafes, who only just started competing at the senior level last October, delivered a fearless performance, taking on both Olympic and world champions en route to bronze. In the medal contest, he defeated compatriot and reigning world champion and Olympic silver medallist Joan-Benjamin Gaba, a statement victory that underlined his readiness to step beyond the junior ranks.
Ngayap Hambou, already an Olympic medallist, reinforced his growing reputation with a commanding display. Facing Georgia’s Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri on home soil, the young Frenchman executed two decisive scores to claim bronze, silencing the partisan crowd. His performance builds on a rapid rise that has included medals on the World Judo Tour, an Olympic bronze in Paris 2024 Olympics, and a European silver in 2025.
In the -81kg category, Serbia’s Mihajlo Simin, aged 21, also broke through at senior level. A former cadet world number one and junior world medallist, Simin defeated Austria’s Bernd Fasching and former world champion Matthias Casse on his run to the semifinals. There, he was stopped by eventual gold medallist Timur Arbuzov, but his bronze medal marked a significant milestone, coming just a year after claiming the junior European title.
On the women’s side, emerging talent came to the fore in the heavier weight categories.
In the -70kg division, two rising names stood out, France’s Melkia Auchecorne and Switzerland’s April Fohou. Both athletes, still only 21 and 20 respectively, claimed their first senior European Championship medals, building on already impressive junior careers.
Auchecorne, a double junior world champion, showcased her growing maturity on the senior stage. On her path to silver, she defeated Olympic medallist Madina Taimazova and Spain’s Ai Tsunoda Roustant, before falling to Hungary’s Szofi Ozbas in the final. For Auchecorne, this medal adds to the string of senior successes she has found on the World Judo Tour since entering the circuit after her 2024 junior world title.
For Fohou, the senior medal came with a statement victory over -70kg top seed, Croatia’s Lara Cvjetko, a double world silver medallist. The win came after trailing late in the bronze medal contest against the Croatian. Fohou regained composure in the final minute to draw level and force golden score where she executed a decisive sasae-style throw for ippon, to add a senior European medal to her junior continental and world titles, as well as two Grand Slam finals so far this year. The 20-year-old, who insisted beforehand that she had “nothing to prove”, left the championships having done exactly that.
Elsewhere, one of the tournament’s biggest surprises came from Estonia’s Emma-Melis Aktas.
The 18-year-old delivered a stunning upset by stopping five-time European champion Romane Dicko at +78kgs. Aktas also overcame Portugal’s Rochele Nunes and pushed her bronze medal contest into golden score. Although she ultimately fell short of the podium, her run marked her out as one to keep an eye on in the lead-up to the next Olympic Games in LA28.
Author: EJU Media