Poznań’s opening day belongs to Poland as Kolondra leads the charge

The first day of the Poznań European Junior Cup 2026 didn’t just start fast—it started loud. Backed by a fired-up home crowd, Poland turned the opening session into a statement, jumping to the top of the standings with six gold medals, plus one silver and three bronze. Across most weight categories, the hosts looked in control and hungry for more.

Home advantage can be a myth—until a team makes it real on the tatami.

One of the earliest sparks came at -60 kg, where Jan Kolondra put together a calm, increasingly confident run to the top of the podium. As the rounds progressed, the Polish judoka looked more assured, and in the final he committed fully to the moment. Kolondra later pointed to something athletes rarely get to say: the day felt right from the start, from making weight and warming up to the fights themselves.

He also framed the gold as proof of work done long before Poznań. Kolondra said he has been training very hard recently, trusting his strength and abilities, and feeling in better form than last year. Over a long competition day, he paid attention to the physical details too—keeping warm between bouts, using gels and isotonic drinks to maintain energy. Mentally, he described staying locked on tactics, and turning to prayer at times when stress surfaced.

Poland’s momentum didn’t stop there. In -73 kg, Jakub Kobyliński added another title with a performance described as tactically disciplined, holding control under pressure and delivering when it counted.

The women’s divisions followed the same rhythm. In -63 kg, Hanna Zaitseva took gold after recently returning from injury, calling the win especially meaningful. She approached each opponent with a plan, and in the final the decisive moment came on the ground—juji-gatame, her strongest ne-waza technique, sealed it.

More Polish gold arrived through Amelia Ptasińska (-70 kg), Magda Glubiak (-78 kg), and Aleksandra Kocieba (+78 kg), underlining the depth of the home squad. The only break in the Polish run came at -66 kg, where Adis Orozmamatov of Kyrgyzstan claimed the title. With day one in the books, Poland carries both momentum and expectation into day two in Poznań.

Source: EJU_News