Bislan Katamardov (IJF) was the heavyweight revelation of the day in Bratislava. He shocked the arena early on by defeating reigning champion Ibrahim Tataroglu (TUR) for the very first time, a statement win that set the tone for his golden run. From there, Katamardov swept through the draw, four victories in total, to crown himself Junior European Champion.
The final pitted him against Germany’s rising talent, Mortaza Suha. Right from the start, danger loomed: Suha nearly caught Katamardov on the ground in the opening minute, but the IJF representative scrambled out, keeping his title hopes alive. Both were known for big throwing power, and tension built as pundits anticipated fireworks.
Suha, with a notable height advantage, tried to use his reach, locking into a bear hug exchange midway through the contest. Yet neither could break the deadlock. Both picked up passivity penalties, and by the third minute, Suha was on two warnings. The breakthrough came in the final minute, Katamardov struck with a yuko, then switched gears into tactical mode.
From there, it became a chase. Suha pressed hard, throwing everything he had into the last exchanges, but Katamardov stayed composed, managing the clock with icy precision. As the final buzzer sounded, the team representing IJF had its newest champion.
Katamardov’s path to gold was anything but easy: after Tataroglu, he eliminated another Turkish contender, Recep Ergin, and then overcame France’s Matheo Akiana Mongo in the semi-final. Four fights, four wins, and one unforgettable title.
Akiana Mongo bounced back strongly, throwing his compatriot Kevin Nzuzi Diasivi with yoko-otoshi to secure bronze doing so without a coach in his chair. The second bronze went to Romania’s Darius Dobre, who celebrated passionately as he captured his nation’s only medal of the tournament, lifting Romania into the group of 21 medal-winning countries.
Author: EJU Media