The opening junior event of 2026 will welcome world-class young athletes for their first test of the year. The ultimate goal? The junior European and world championships, and for some, the senior circuit is already firmly in their sights.
Currently, the entry list features a total of 346 athletes from 23 countries, with the host nation boosted by nearly 50 judoka. The final line-up is likely to change slightly until the official draw, which will take place on Friday at 19:30 local time and will be streamed via JudoTV.com.
The list includes three world-ranked #2 athletes, one of whom is Germany’s 19-year-old Tabea Nika Mecklenburg, a junior European bronze medallist in 2024 and junior world bronze medallist in 2025 in the -52kg category. Holding a similarly, if not, even more impressive résumé is Aleksandra Andric (SRB), who not only secured junior world championships silver in 2025 but also claimed her first Grand Prix medal last year, earning bronze at the Zagreb Grand Prix in the -70kg category. Notably, she was already a senior European bronze medallist when achieving these results. The Serbian judoka is only 18-year-old but has already carved her name into the judo world. Her teammate, Boris Rutovic (SRB), also holds the world #2 ranking in the -90kg category. The former cadet European and world champion has transitioned smoothly into the junior ranks and quickly established himself with several junior European Cup victories.
The -63kg category is led by Ilariia Tsurkan (SLO). Although she missed out on a podium finish at the 2025 junior world championships, she is currently ranked number three in the world. Her teammate, Jevgenija Gajic (SLO), leads the -57kg category and has already competed this year, claiming bronze at the African Open in Casablanca. The top seed in the -78kg category and one of the home favourites is Johanna Elisabeth Klinger (BIH). The 18-year-old judoka is currently ranked world #4, with her latest result also coming from the African Open in Casablanca less than two weeks ago, where she secured bronze amongst the seniors and silver in the junior event.
The entry list features numerous top-eight world ranked judoka alongside many emerging talents. Check out the full entry list via the following link.
The event will be streamed live on JudoTV.com and remember to follow all behind-the-scenes content and updates via our social media channels.
Author: Szandra Szogedi