With the Senior European Judo Championships 2024 set to commence in Zagreb, all eyes are on the Croatian women’s team as they aim to secure European titles in their respective weight categories. Despite the pressure mounting, the team is prepared to capitalize on the home advantage and showcase their prowess on the international stage ..read more

The Senior European Judo Championships 2024 in Zagreb are set to begin with a bang, featuring a staggering entry of 439 judoka from 47 nations ready to battle it out for glory from April 25th to 28th. Despite the challenges posed by the Olympic year, the championships promise to be a showcase of top-tier judo talent. Day one of the championships will see the men's -60kg and -66kg categories take center stage, with a lineup of formidable athletes vying for the coveted European titles ..read more

This week, the Croatian capital, Zagreb, is set to host the highly anticipated European Judo Championships 2024, with top judokas from across Europe gathering to compete for glory. The event promises to be a celebration of skill, determination, and sportsmanship, showcasing the best of the continent's judo stars. The Zagreb Arena will host the European Judo Championships for the first time ever. More than 430 athletes from 47 nations are participating in the competition where in the IJF hosted the IJF Grand Prix and the Cadet World Championships. Both presidents welcome the athletes ..read more

Author: Italian Judo On the second day of competitions in Lignano, the performance of the Georgian athletes impressed, bringing home two gold medals with Luka JAVAKHISHVILI in the -81kg category and Saba KARDAVA in the +100kg category, along with Giorgi LOLADZE’s victory on Day 1 in the -73kg category. The three gold medals earned the Team Georgia the victory of the Tarcento Trophy, a local award given to the national team that achieves the highest number of gold medals in the men’s medal tally. The final of the -81kg category was decisive, featuring a spectacular match between Luka JAVAKHISHV ..read more

The newly established European Judo Hopes Cup & Technical Session Kodokan Experts is a great way to bring all enthusiastic 13 and 14-year-old judoka together and onto their very own EJU tour.  The first two-day edition was held this weekend in Sarajevo. This event is made of a competition and technical session, both which, all participants are required to attend.  Winner of the Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medal, Maria CENTRACCHIO of Italy was first guest to join the expert team and was excited to inspire the next generation of young judokas. It’s a great honor for me to be h ..read more

Poland has delivered a rather large medal tally on home ground during the Warsaw Veteran European Cup 2024. With the total of 13 gold, 12 silver and 8 bronze medals, the host nation has outclassed the majority. Thought, the field seemed quiet competitive as the total of 13 nations took a gold medal at least. Twelve of the 13 Polish gold medals was earned by the men’s team and as per the women’s team, Monika CHROSCIELEWSKA (F2/-63kg) took single victory. The 38-year-old judoka first defeated Magdalena STASIENKO (POL) before securing a win against Natasha GLASSFORD (GBR) to take glory. The ..read more

Top world ranking positions, world titles, Grand Slam medals and seeding aside, the pressure is dialling up for the Croatian women’s team who have been claiming 2024 as their own, and now have the monumental job of taking a European title.  Many may assume that there is a home advantage, and to some extent it is true, but with those home comforts comes the added feeling of potential disappointment. Fortunately for these ladies, Zagreb, and Croatia, has played host to major championships and IJF World Tour events in their plentiful, so they are well prepped and raring to go!  In the ..read more

On the second day of the Senior European Championships 2024, there will only be four weight categories competing, however they are the most populated. Sporting the greatest number are the men’s -73kg category. Eyes will be on defending European Champion, an individual with three senior titles, U23, junior and cadet accolades, not to mention the top position in the world ranking list, Hidayat HEYDAROV (AZE). In his past five events, four gold medals came his way, and the 26 year-old has  only been on the rise. He will however, have to compete against some of the best in the world to take a ..read more

Author: Dino Stambolić The European Judo Hopes Cup Sarajevo 2024 has fully justified the decision of the European Judo Union (EJU) to include the new competition in its calendar and to entrust the technical organization to the Judo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to the competition, all young judoka had the opportunity to learn from Olympic medallists through the Technical Session Kodokan Experts. Gold medallist from the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Japanese athlete, TAKIMOTO Makoto, who acted as a Kodokan Expert, and Maria CENTRACCHIO, bronze medallist from the Tokyo Olympics ..read more

Author: Italian Judo On the first day of competition in Lignano Valerio ACCOGLI (ITA) managed to replicate his success from two years ago. Accogli won in the -66kg category, one of the largest categories in the competition, along with the -73kg. During elimination rounds, Accogli defeated the French athlete Maximilien PETITE, then Rilay RAKOTONDRAMANAGA (SUI) and Alexandru MORARU (MDA). In the semi-final, he prevailed over the German Noel SCHMIDT.  Today I felt very good and in great shape, I faced the competition with a lot of calmness. The goal is always the same: try to approach them ..read more