Kristina Dudina motivated for future success after surprise title

In the -48kg category at the European Championships, 19-year-old Kristina Dudina of Russia surprised everyone with a gold medal victory. Despite being the bronze medalist at last year's Junior World Championships, Dudina clinched the gold by defeating France's Blandine Pont in the final. Dudina follows in the footsteps of the Individual Neutral Athletes' Daria Kurbonmamadova, who won the European title last year. The last Russian lightweight to achieve this feat was Irina Dolgova in 2018.

In the final against Blandine Pont, Dudina's victory denied France a third consecutive lightweight title, with Shirine Boukli having won the last two European titles. Dudina advanced to the final by winning her pool matches against Laura Martinez Abelenda and Ellen Salens, and defeating Israeli Tamar Malca in the semi-finals. Malca, securing the bronze, achieved a significant milestone with a continental medal at every level, including cadet, junior, and U23 categories.

In the other bronze medal contest, Catarina Costa of Portugal, who had previously taken silver in 2022 and 2023, impressively countered an attack from Milica Nikolic of Serbia to secure a bronze medal victory.

Although Dudina faces a significant points gap with Sabina Giliazova in the rankings, her title win serves as great motivation for the teenager. Dudina's victory marks the first time a teenager has won the European title in the U48kg category since Daria Bilodid. Her coach Sirazhudin Magomedov was the European Champion twelve years ago, he knows the feeling.