Serbia surprises with Mixed team bronze

The team of Serbia clinched an historic european bronze medal in the mixed team events at the european championships in zagreb, defeating host Croatia in a thrilling battle. the stands were filled with anticipation as Croatia faced off against neighboring Serbia, with both teams vying for a historic victory. the opening bout in the -57kg category saw Marica Perisic of Serbia and Tihea Topolovec of Croatia engage in a fierce golden score battle.

Ultimately, Perisic emerged victorious, securing an ippon with sumi gaeshi. Perisic expressed her elation at the team's achievement, emphasizing the significance of winning Serbia's first team medal at a european championships. she credited the team's determination and shared her experience of overcoming an injury during the semi-final, highlighting the team's unwavering support as a motivating factor.

The momentum shifted as Robert Klacar of Croatia swiftly leveled the score against Filip Jovanovic with a drop sode tsurikomi goshi. Jovana Cakarevic of Serbia attempted a counter against Lara Cvjetko, but Cvjetko capitalized on the opportunity, transitioning into osaekomi for the win. Darko Brasnjovic of Serbia faced Dominik Druzeta in the -90kg category, but incurred two shidos for passivity. Druzeta seized the opportunity in the final seconds, executing ashi waza followed by juji gatame to secure victory.

the tension mounted in the +70kg category as Milica Zabic of Serbia faced home favorite Helena Vukovic. Zabic took the lead with an uchi mata makikomi, initially earning ippon before it was downgraded to waza ari. despite Vukovic's efforts to force penalties, Zabic maintained control, securing the crucial win for Serbia.

Zlatko Kumric of Croatia, who had a remarkable performance in the -100kg category the previous day, faced Bojan Dosen in the +90kg category. However, Dosen quickly asserted dominance, scoring with o soto gari and countering Kumric's uchi mata attempt to secure victory. Dosen expressed his disbelief and joy at his win, while tears of joy flowed from the Serbian delegation, celebrating their historic achievement.

Coach Vladimir Jovicic of Team Serbia expressed his delight at making serbian judo history, emphasizing the team's unity and determination. He highlighted the significance of participating in all olympic categories and praised the team's collective effort in securing the medal, describing the emotional atmosphere following the final bout as an "explosion of emotions."

France won the gold medal against the team of Georgia.