Matuznyi gives Berlin its gold spark as Europeans shine on day two

Day two of the Cadet European Cup in Berlin finally brought the home crowd the moment it had been waiting for. Germany took one gold, one silver and one bronze, finishing fifth in the medal table. Uzbekistan led the event ahead of France and Azerbaijan, but for the hosts the standout story was Dmytro Matuznyi.

In the -73 kg final, the German faced Sadig Mammadov of Azerbaijan. Both had already finished with European Cup silver in 2026, and that extra edge could be felt in a fast, fearless contest. Matuznyi struck first with yuko from Seoi-nage, Mammadov answered with yoko-sumi-gaeshi, and then the German found the winning opening with O-uchi-gari to seal the only German gold of the tournament.

Germany needed one breakthrough, and Matuznyi delivered it.

Matuznyi’s run had already turned heads before the final. According to the event report, he won four preliminary matches by juji-gatame, including one against world number one Adam Rusnak of Czechia. After silver in Teplice, Berlin gold marked another major step in a rapid rise.

European athletes also made plenty of noise beyond the host nation. Lithuania’s Tajus Babaicenko produced the sharpest statement of the day in the -90 kg category, throwing Omar Akhundov of Azerbaijan with sumi-gaeshi for Ippon in less than 27 seconds. It was his fourth European Cup victory of 2026 and another reminder of his form.

Melichar Skoda of Czechia added more European success in the +90 kg final against Aleksandrs Apsalons of Latvia. He moved ahead with a yuko from Seoi-nage with about a minute left, then finished the job with a choke in the final second. That result gave him a third gold medal of the year.

In the women’s divisions, France collected two titles through Norah Gosset and Therese-Grace Sassa-Tatukila, while Italy celebrated Valeria Giordano’s win at -63 kg. Germany came close in -57 kg, but Katharina Narrain had to settle for silver after Zuhra Alimova of Uzbekistan scored with Uchi-mata and later controlled the contest on the ground.

Berlin ended with several strong performances. For the home team, though, Matuznyi’s final win was the moment that changed the feeling of the day.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union