The Thessaloniki “Millennium Team” Cadet European Cup will welcome a record number of participants. More than 600 young athletes from 35 nations will gather in Greece’s second-largest city, far exceeding last year’s number of 439 competitors.
More than 400 cadet boys are entered, with almost 100 athletes in the -66kg category. This is likely the highest number of athletes in a single category at any Cadet European Cup this year and even surpasses the traditionally large field in Teplice. Greece fields the largest delegation, followed by Georgia and Israel. Although not all world top-five athletes are present in every category, the level will still be extremely
competitive. The depth in the -60kg and -73kg divisions is particularly strong. Among the girls, the -57kg category has an especially large and competitive field. The middleweight categories are very crowded in Thessaloniki.
The line-up includes several notable young talents. Belgium’s lightweight Maelys Dapa (-48kg) is among the athletes to watch, as is her teammate Valerie Tombou (-70kg). In the boys’ divisions, the Lithuanian athlete Tajus Babajcenko stands out. After moving from -81kg to -90kg, he continues to impress and has already won four European Cups this season, making him one of the most successful cadet athletes on the Tour.
Non-European nations are also represented, for example Lebanon’s top seed Diego Saikaly (-81kg), Canada’s Arthur Stivenson (+90kg) and Maya Aubert Gomez (-57kg) from El Salvador. For Greece, Anna Papastergiou is the number one seed in the -63kg category. She has been active in the cadet circuit for several years and has clearly found her form in this weight class.
The Thessaloniki “Millennium Team” Cadet European Cup serves as a fitting end to the season, and many of the athletes who reach the podium this weekend are expected to continue progressing in the years ahead. Follow the tournament throughout the weekend via JudoTV.com to discover Europe’s next generation of judo talent.
Author: Hans Van Essen