Minkada-Caquineau completes her Podgorica mission
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Leonie Minkada-Caquineau of France turned previous Junior European disappointment into +78 kg gold in Podgorica. After taking silver in 2025, the French judoka returned in 2026 with one clear objective—and finished at the top of the podium.
The 15-athlete field included several rising heavyweights, but Minkada-Caquineau arrived as the world number six with a standout record already built across cadet, junior and senior-level competition. Her recent results included silver at the Zagreb Grand Prix in 2025 and fifth place at this season’s Upper Austria Grand Prix in Linz.
Her junior achievements had also underlined why expectations were high. Minkada-Caquineau brought junior world bronze from Lima 2025, Junior European silver from Bratislava 2025, cadet world silver and a cadet European title into the competition in Montenegro.
She responded to that pressure with confident victories over Coulibaly Toure of Spain and Kira Safonova of Russia, securing another place in a Junior European final. This time, however, the result went one step further than the year before.
Minkada-Caquineau converted 2025 silver into Junior European gold.
Germany’s Peppa Ploehnert emerged from the other half of the draw to challenge for the title. While Ploehnert had fewer major medals heading into Podgorica, her 2026 form was strong, with Junior European Cup gold in Berlin and silver in Skopje.
The final also renewed a familiar rivalry. Minkada-Caquineau held a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over Ploehnert, having beaten the German in Graz earlier in 2026 and previously in Teplice in 2022 during their cadet years. In Podgorica, the French judoka added the Junior European +78 kg title to an increasingly impressive collection.
For Minkada-Caquineau, it was a composed response to expectation and a major step after last year’s silver medal. For Ploehnert, reaching the gold-medal contest continued a promising season for German junior judo.
Source: EJU.net
Image source: EJU / European Judo Union