The second day of the Lignano Junior European Cup was marked by a diverse array of winners. Across the seven contested categories, athletes from seven different nations claimed the top spot: Kazakhstan, Hungary, France and Serbia among the men, and Japan, Germany and Poland among the women. This diversity underlines the global reach and enduring popularity of judo.
The path to victory taken by Kazakhstan’s Dosbol Balgabay, who racked up six wins, was particularly noteworthy. In the final, against Italy’s Edoardo Michele Russo, he capitalised on his opponent’s attempted sumi-gaeshi attack, taking control of the action and pinning him.
“We prepared for the final with the whole team,” explained Dosbol, “and that was precisely the reason for our victory in the final. It was a team effort because all our teammates trained together and made it to this final. The final wasn’t difficult to fight because we prepared as best as we could.”
A true team victory, evidenced by the cheering from the stands of the entire Kazakh team, united in their support for the athletes on the tatami and highlighted by the bronze medal in the same category won by Myrzatay Kydyrbay.
The German team arrived in Lignano in top form and won two gold medals, one each day, in the women’s categories. Klara Erten, winner of the -52kg category, noted that this was “a very special achievement for me because it’s my first gold medal in a European Cup.”
Regarding the final, she said, “It was very difficult but in the end I landed my tai-otoshi and that allowed me to win.” She dedicated the victory to her coaches.
Italy, despite falling short in winning any gold medals on the second day of competition, topped the medal count, followed by Japan, with only seven athletes competing, and Germany.
To manage the competition, the Judo Kuroki organising committee, in collaboration with the Italian federation FIJLKAM and the EJU, relied on more than eighty volunteers, thanks to whom the event was made possible.
The Training Camp will begin tomorrow. See you next year. Arrivederci!
Author: Gino Stefanel
Author: EJU Media