After a high-paced set of preliminary rounds on day two of the Millennium Team European Judo Championships Cadets 2025, the final block everyone had been waiting for was ready to get underway. Some of the finals held the promise of long-awaited results for certain nations, including the repeat of a success not seen in over a decade. So, where to begin…
Victory Validated
In the final of the -52kg category, top seed Valeriia Kozlova (IJF) squared off against unseeded Alice Lopez (FRA). This wasn’t an unfamiliar setting for neither as they had already met each other earlier this year in the final of the Quba Millennium Team Cadet European Cup 2025, where Kozlova took the win. Fast forward to today, and history repeated itself. After scoring a waza-ari around the halfway mark, Kozlova kept her focus, transitioned smoothly into ne-waza, and wrapped things up with a textbook osae-komi-waza to secure the gold. Beaming as she stepped off the tatami, she was ready to share her emotions:
“I feel absolutely great! As the number one seed, of course, there is always pressure, as people are prepared for you to be number one but I was able to overcome this anxiety. For me, this victory means a lot, it shows that the whole path I have taken was not in vain, and there is only more to come. When I was holding my opponent down, I experienced the most vivid emotions after this final. Well, how can you not experience them when you are the winner of Europe?”
Bronze medal winners of the category are Polina Furman (IJF) and Giulia Bonzano (ITA).
Full Circle
The -57kg category final saw Elif Kilic (TUR) take on Sofia Pekki (FIN). Now, the last Finnish judoka to win a cadet European title was Emilia Karneva, exactly ten years ago, and in the very same weight category. The final between Kilic and Pekki was an incredibly close contest, with penalties stacking up on both sides. The turning point came shortly after the bout entered golden score, when Kilic made a technical error, unintentionally applying waki-gatame, putting pressure on the elbow joint in an attempt to score. As a result, she was disqualified with hansoku-make.
Unknowingly at the time, Pekki have just completed a full circle for Finnish judo, and she celebrated her golden moment with joy. “I feel amazing,” she begins, before being informed of Karneva’s success a decade ago. To this, she responds, “Wow, really? That makes this even more special. I am so happy Finland has gold again after such a long time.”
Shifting back to today’s events, she reflects on the toughest moments: “Definitely the quarter-final, it went into an eight-minute golden score before I finally scored. That was a tough one. In the final, I didn’t know my opponent and hadn’t watched any videos or anything like that. I just tried to stay calm, focus, and do my own judo. And when I won…” Her eyes light up as she adds, “It was just pure happiness.
“Gold was my goal, but honestly, this medal isn’t just mine, it belongs to Finland. It represents all the hard work from every training session, my coaches, my teammates. I am only 15; I was five when Emilia won hers, and I wasn’t even a judo player yet. So this feels amazing, like it all came full circle.” she concluded.
Taking home the bronze in this category are Maya Toszegi (GER) and Ekaterina Zhdanova (IJF).
The Pinnacle
In the final of the -63kg category, after an outstanding day of progress, unseeded Audren Guenneugues (FRA) was ready to take on the number two seed, Aishat Alieva (IJF). Shortly after the first minute, Guenneugues’ attempted ure-nage was blocked and countered by Alieva’s ashi-waza and even more controlled te-waza skills. While trying to catch her breath, still with a big smile, Alieva shared her joy:
“I feel good today, everything worked out for me. Of course, there is always something to improve, but today was my day. I managed to win and bring joy to my loved ones and my coach. I am very happy about that, thank you. This is the most significant medal of my life, the biggest moment in my career so far. It is a great start, and I won’t stop here. I will keep pushing forward.”
The bronze medallists in this division are Nana Gulbiani (GEO) and Chloe Jean (FRA).
Images: Gabi Juan / Carlos Ferreira
Author: Szandra Szogedi