For the second time in her young career, Slovenia’s Nika Tomc stood on top of the podium in Sarajevo. The 20-year-old from Celje successfully defended her European Open title, becoming only the second athlete ever to win the tournament twice.
“It felt really good, but also a bit stressful,” Tomc said with a smile after her final. “I needed to focus on each fight, listen to my coach, and that’s it.”
In the final, Tomc faced one of the sport’s biggest names, Britain’s Chelsie Giles, the Olympic bronze medallist from Tokyo and former European champion, who recently moved up a weight category. It was their first encounter on the tatami. “Yes, this was the first time we fought because she used to be in -52kg and now she’s in my category,” Tomc explained.
Tomc wasted no time asserting herself, scoring yuko after just twenty seconds. “My coach told me exactly what to do, and I did it, and it worked,” she said. That coach, Marian Fabian, has been a key influence in her corner, guiding her transition from junior to senior level with precision and calm authority.
When told she was now only the second judoka to win in Sarajevo twice, after Britain’s Emma Reid, Tomc looked surprised. “Really? I didn’t know that,” she laughed. “That’s nice!”
Originally from Celje, Tomc continues to build her reputation on the international stage. Her best previous result came at the Grand Prix in Linz, where she took silver. “That was my second Grand Prix,” she said. “I’m still young, I’ll be 20 next year.” As a youth competitor, she had already shown promise by winning gold at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF). Her recent success in Sarajevo confirms that early potential was no coincidence.
Giles, meanwhile, admitted the tournament was a valuable test. She faced several tough contests on her way to the final, exactly the kind of pressure she says she wants as she adjusts to her new category.
The bronze medals in the -57kg category went to Italy’s Silvia Pellitteri and Kosovo’s Flaka Loxha. Pellitteri secured victory with a powerful o-soto-gari followed by an oseikomi, while Loxha won an all-Kosovan contest against Fationa Kasapi after her opponent was disqualified for a third penalty.
Hungary’s Réka Pupp also had a day to remember in Sarajevo, capturing her first European Open gold medal in the -52kg division. “I was talking about it two days ago with Roza Gyertyas,” she smiled. “I told her I really wanted to win because I’d never won a European Open before. So this was a big chance for me, and I’m very happy.”
In the final, Pupp defeated France’s Julie Weill Dit Morey, a familiar rival. “We fought before in Paris at the Grand Slam,” Pupp said. “This time it was harder, she knew my techniques, so it became more tactical, but I managed it well with my coach Akos Braun.”
For Pupp, this win carried extra meaning. It was her 18th medal on the IJF World Tour, but her first ever gold at continental Open level. After a few months away from competition since the World Championships in Budapest, this victory was as much about rediscovering rhythm as collecting points. “I felt confident, even though there were only two matches in my category today,” she said. “It was important to get back on the mat and feel that competitive energy again.”
Pupp travelled five hours from her hometown Paks by minibus to Sarajevo, but she took it all in stride. “It’s not too far,” she laughed. “I came from Paks, not Budapest.”
In the lightweight women’s category, Marine Gilly of France claimed gold after a tactical win over Aina Moiseeva, her second European Open title. Gilly, a former European silver medallist at cadet and junior level, controlled the contest from the second minute and held firm until the end under the guidance of her coach, 2008 Olympian Dimitri Dragin.
Italy’s Elisa Adrasti added bronze with a quick ippon in just thirty seconds against Narin Handan, her first medal at this level since 2017. The second bronze went to Serbia’s Nevena Milic, who scored yuko in the closing moments against Natalia Stoklosa of Poland.
Sarajevo once again delivered a mix of emerging names and seasoned champions, with Slovenia’s Nika Tomc leading the way, calm, composed and perfectly in tune with her coach’s words.
Judoka
Author: Hans Van Essen