Bellandi finds the last piece in Tbilisi as Europeans shine at -78 kg

Alice Bellandi arrived in Tbilisi with one clear mission. The Italian already owned Olympic and world gold, but the senior European title was still missing. By the end of the day, that gap was gone.

Her run began smoothly. After a bye, Bellandi needed only one minute to win her opening contest. Aleksandra Babintseva asked tougher questions in the next round, yet Bellandi stayed composed and moved on with two small scores.

The semi-final was another reminder that nothing would come easily. France’s Kaila Issoufi pushed the Italian into a full contest, and Bellandi advanced by only a narrow margin on the scoreboard. It was enough to reach the final, but it also showed how demanding this category had become.

The gold-medal match turned on one action in the final minute.

In the other half, Emma Reid gave Great Britain a major lift. The world bronze medallist needed just one minute to finish Metka Lotnik of Slovenia with an armlock in the semi-final, earning her first senior European final. It was a big step and one of the standout European stories of the day.

Bellandi started the final with more urgency, trying to outwork Reid from the opening exchanges. The British judoka still found her preferred grip more than once and made life uncomfortable for the Italian. Then, just inside the last minute, Bellandi found the key moment with a combination of seoi-otoshi to ko-uchi-gake.

That sequence proved decisive. Bellandi managed the closing seconds well and finally added the senior European crown to her Olympic and world titles.

There were more important European results behind the gold. Reid took silver for her first senior European medal. Bronze went to Metka Lobnik, who secured her first senior milestone after Babintseva was disqualified, and to France’s Kaila Issoufi, who controlled her medal contest against Germany’s Julie Hoelterhoff to claim her own first senior European podium finish.

For Bellandi, Tbilisi was about finishing the set. For several others, it felt like the beginning of something bigger.

Source: EJU_News