Louna-Lumia Seikkula (FIN) captured the first-ever U23 European gold for her country in the -63kg, a truly historic victory. “This is my first gold medal at any big event. I don’t even have a gold from European Cups or Opens, this is my first ever big European result.” An unforgettable milestone, both for Seikkula and Finnish judo.
In the -60kg category, Vahe Aghasyan (ARM) delivered another historic moment. Armenia’s last U23 European gold came 22 years ago, at the tournament’s very first edition back in 2003. This weekend, Aghasyan brought that golden glory back home, showing that Armenian judo is alive and thriving.
For George Udsilauri (GER), this gold medal was years in the making. After countless attempts, he finally stood at the top of the podium in the -100kg category. “I was expecting gold. I worked very hard for it. I tried it so many times, I don’t even know how many, to get a signature medal at European and world level. Finally, the hard work paid off.”
In the +100kg category, Jakub Sordyl (POL) had a strong run to the final, ultimately taking silver Another silver went to Jovana Stjepanovic (SRB), last year’s Junior European runner-up, who once again proved her consistency in the -78kg category. Her teammate Vojin Mandic (SRB) showed heart and determination, coming back from a quarter-final loss to claim bronze after a brilliant hold-down victory in his final match in the -90kg category.
And in an all-Austrian bronze medal clash, Bernd Fasching (AUT) edged out teammate Magamed Borchashvili (AUT) in a tense golden score scoring at exactly 100 seconds to secure a well-deserved spot on the podium.
Congratulations to all our Team IPPONGEAR athletes! Once again, it’s incredible to see hard work turning into big moments on Europe’s biggest stage.
