Following a nail‑biting semi-final, Jolina REINHOLD (GER) stepped on the mat in the -57kg final ready to seize her moment. And wow, did she deliver! A perfectly timed te‑waza earned her a yuko in the opening exchange against Sweden’s Hanna BABULFATH, and from there she controlled every second of the contest.“It feels amazing, I wanted this medal so much and when I woke up I felt like it was my day so I just went for it! At the beginning of the year, my main goal was to come to EYOF, because you only get one chance, so I was happy that I got this competition, so I felt I needed to make something out of the opportunity.”
In one of the most gripping semis of the day, Hannah GLAUNER (GER) battled VAS Mira (HUN) for over nine minutes before catching her with a counter to a tired drop seoi. Into the final she went, where she faced Spain’s Monica Martinez De Rituerto Morillas. This time, Hannah had to settle for silver – but what a performance from the young German!
Konstantin DISTEL (GER) showed some serious tactical judo, initiating with o‑uchi‑gari, switching to a low uchi‑mata and finishing the job in ne‑waza against Estonia’s Aleksei KIKAS. A brilliant fight and a well‑deserved bronze for Konstantin!
On the final day of competition, Team Germany added yet another highlight by capturing a silver medal in the Mixed Team Event. On their way to the final, the German squad showed incredible depth and teamwork, defeating strong teams from Spain, Moldova, France, and Poland before finally falling to Serbia in a thrilling gold medal match. What an incredible performance and a true display of team spirit!
Another name to watch: Ilariia TSURKAN (UKR). She owned the -63kg category from start to finish, closing the final with a textbook juji‑gatame in under a minute. Pure class! She also took part in the Mixed Team Competition, and helped secure a Team Bronze medal for Team Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ingrid KOMODOWSKI (DEN) fought her way to a hard‑earned bronze, executing a sharp counter to an o‑uchi‑gari and making history as the first judoka to win a medal for Denmark at this event.
Team Croatia also had a fantastic run in Skopje, showing incredible depth and fighting spirit throughout the tournament. Kristian BUTUCI (CRO) powered his way into the final in -55kg after a gritty golden‑score win over Romania’s Alim Marian SORIC, ultimately taking home a well‑earned silver medal.
In the +70kg category, Antea AJDUKOVIC (CRO) impressed with a tremendous day of performances, only falling short in the final against European Champion Emma FEUILLET–NGUIMGO (FRA) to claim another silver for Croatia.
Adding to the success, Ana BESKER (CRO) followed up her Cadet European Championship podium in -70kg from less than a month ago with yet another brilliant result, capturing a bronze medal to complete Croatia’s impressive medal haul.
A massive congratulations to every single athlete who stepped onto the tatami in Skopje and gave it their all. From breathtaking golden moments to those hard‑fought bronze medals, you showed passion, courage, and the kind of judo that makes our sport so special.
