Lignano’s second day turns into a seven-nation gold rush, with Europe shining

Day two of the Lignano Junior European Cup looked like judo’s global map in motion. Seven weight categories were contested, and seven different countries walked away with gold: Kazakhstan, Hungary, France and Serbia in the men’s divisions, plus Japan, Germany and Poland in the women’s. That kind of spread doesn’t just look good on paper—it keeps every round unpredictable.

Kazakhstan’s Dosbol Balgabay delivered the most eye-catching run of the day. He put together six wins, then closed the final against Italy’s Edoardo Michele Russo by turning an attempted sumi-gaeshi into his advantage, taking control and finishing with a pin.

When the podium keeps changing flags, you know the level is deep.

For European fans, the women’s results hit especially hard—in a good way. Germany’s Klara Erten captured -52 kg gold and described it as a personal breakthrough: her first European Cup title. The final was a grind, but she found the opening she needed, landing tai-otoshi to secure the win and dedicating the moment to her coaches.

Poland also took a top spot, while Italy—despite missing out on gold on the second day—still ended up leading the overall medal count. Japan followed in the standings even though only seven athletes were entered, with Germany close behind.

Off the tatami, the event ran on serious collective effort. The Judo Kuroki organising committee worked alongside FIJLKAM and the EJU, supported by more than eighty volunteers who helped make the competition possible. Next comes the training camp, and then Lignano will already be looking ahead to next year.

Source: EJU_News