Seven winning nations in Malaga's European Cup

The second day of the European Cup in Malaga saw a wide range of nations standing atop the podium, with some surprising and impressive performances. In the men's -81kg category, Jan Svoboda from the Czech Republic secured the gold medal, defeating Eetu Ihanamaki from Finland in a closely contested final. The bronze medals went to Spain’s Mamoudou Ba and Koen Heg of the Netherlands.

In the men's -90kg category, Ireland's Bearach Gleeson clinched the gold, defeating Dylan Jansen from the Netherlands in the final. The Dutch team continued to impress with Lars Van Oostrum and Ian Van Herk both taking bronze, showcasing their depth in this weight class.

Silvan Bulthuis from the Netherlands took home the gold in the -100kg division after a strong showing, overcoming Germany’s Kilian Kappelmeier. Hungary's Zalan Ohat and Sweden’s Karl Baathe shared the bronze medals, continuing the trend of balanced representation from across Europe in this category.

Germany found success in the men’s +100kg category, where Daniel Udsilauri captured gold. Angel Gustan of France earned the silver, while Romania’s Ionut Vasian and Germany’s Paavo Ploehnert each took home a bronze medal.

On the women's side, the Spanish judoka dominated. In the -48kg division, Jana Cid Balcells won gold, with fellow Spaniard Eva Perez Soler taking silver. Marta Beorlegui Oses and Gemma Maria Gomez Antona, also from Spain, secured bronze, completing a full podium sweep for the host nation.

In the -52kg category, Portugal’s Raquel Brito book another gold medal, just like last week in Portimao. This time defeating Spain’s Mireia Lapuerta Comas in the final. Darja Mihhailova from Estonia and France’s Julie Weill Dit Morey earned bronze medals in this competitive field.

The -57kg division was yet another Spanish triumph, with Marta Garcia Martin winning gold. Italy’s Silvia Pellitteri took silver, while former British Spaniard Malin Wilson Claret and Izaskun Ballesteros Gonzalez both claimed bronze.

The tournament in Malaga showed the depth of talent across European judo, with seven winning nations and athletes from different countries showcasing their abilities, particularly Spain, which dominated several weight categories on home soil with four victories followed by neighbouring Portugal (3).