It was a strong start for both Ilariia TSURKAN (UKR) and Rumeysa Hatice KILICKAYA (TUR) in the -63kg final, but at exactly one minute in to the contest, Tsurkan found the way to a juji gatame win for the EYOF 2025 title! It was one of the quickest finals of the event so far and mirrored her strong performances throughout the day.
I feel really good, it was a good fight. I wasn’t in the Cadet European Championships so I knew I would only be looking to be first today, simply because I knew that I can.
Tsurkan had a small laugh before responding to her epic one minute finish in the final of the -63kg final,
My father, he requested the one minute finish and then I managed it so this is for him! My brother is here too, he is travelling with me all the time to help me in these competitions.
To get in the final, she needed to defeat strong contender, Nina ANDRIC (SRB), who managed to last three minutes in the contest, despite the scores piling against her. Eventually it was a huge sumi gaeshi, ippon finish from Tsurkan.
It was a great fight, I had been preparing to fight with Andric and had been working on my tactics and I know how to fight with her. It made it a bit easier because of the preparation.
For most of the athletes, they have really embraced the EYOF feeling, but for other athletes, including Tsurkan, her steely focus has poised her to top the podium, and now she can celebrate the win with her team.
Actually, for me I have been so focused on my performance in this event, I haven’t really taken it all in yet. Now I have to focus and prepare for my junior events coming up. I really wanted to win for me, but it’s an extra special thing to take back to my whole Ukraine Team.
Author: Thea Cowen