Alina Boehm and Romane Dicko claim the gold in Sofia

Dutch Guusje Steenhuis had a ride to the final where she met with Alina Boehm. In the final Steenhuis suffered again a problem to her wrist which caused too much trouble for her after Boehm had scored a wazari. For Steenhuis is was her fifth lost European final. Definitely she doesn’t want to be in that list as topscorer.

Alina Boehm wasn’t the name you would immediately calculate as European Champion. But she won a strong pool with 2021 European Champion Beata Pacut, bronze medallist and British Natalie Powell. Boehm defeated Alice Bellandi who also made a step from U70kg to U78kg quite recently. Bellandi stunted by winning against former World Champion Madeleine Malonga. She also took out Natascha Ausma. Malonga came back with bronze as Patricia Sampaio was injured. Bellandi defeated Luise Malzahn. The German’s have some luxury in the U78kg weight class. Alina Boehm is the first European Champion U78kg since 2008 (Heide Wollert) where you would expect a stronger dominance of the German women.

Boehm: "In 2015 I became European Cadet Champion in the same hall in Sofia. It was all the same this morning, it was a magical moment for me and then I even repeated that success from back then."

Romane Dicko stable with third European title

The only won that was not a surprise on the highest podium was French heavyweight Romane Dicko. In the final she defeated Raz Hershko with two scores, the last was enough for ippon and the gold medal. Her third European title, she won in 2018, 2020 and this edition in Sofia. In a field of 16 women Dicko had no serious opposition at world level, maybe Hershko. Asya Tavano added another medal for the Italian team by taking bronze. Sebile Akbulut gave Turkey a medal at last.

23 nations won a medal, France topped the table with three female gold medals and the Netherlands came back strong on the closing day in Sofia taking two gold medals just as much as Great Britain and Georgia.