Holland and France show off with two gold medals

France and the Netherlands started well at the first day of the European Junior Championships in Oberwart. With two gold medals and a bronze medal France is on top of the medal list with Holland that also won two gold medals. Starting with lightweight Amber Gersjes, her gold medal U44kg was kind of calculated. In the final the tiny Dutch defeated the strong Turkish Melisa Cakmakli. In the pre-season it was Gersjes who had won four European Cups, so impressed a lot, but she could hold her form until her last fight. Six seconds for the end of a somewhat boring match Gersjes hit with an excellent left Harai Goshi and took her second European title in her career. In 2012 she won the Cadet title.

Turkey won another medal by Tugba Yayla. Unfortunately for Cakmakli it is her second lost European final, last year she lost to Damyanova (BUL) and then Turkey also won bronze by Nesrin Kartal Cetin. Sitora Boymatova (RUS) took bronze for Russia U44kg.

The Dutch were motivated as their second gold medal was achieved a just 15 minutes later by Roy Koffijberg. Holland’s number one seed U60kg was able to defeat three out of four opponents within the four minutes, only his second round lasted the full four. In the final though he compensated all spent time with a huge takeover of Ayub Bliev who lost in 13 seconds to Koffijberg ticking away his right leg after trying a barai. Bronze was for Shahen Abaghyan and Vahagn Hovsepyan both from Armenia.

In the women U48kg it was Reka Pupp, also the highest seed who took the gold medal. Pupp’s efforts in the senior category this year paid out, although it wasn’t that easy in the final against Joana Diogo of Portugal. The Portuguese had Pupp in a hold down for 6 seconds but the Hungarian escaped. In the last minute it was Pupp who got Diogo on the ground, but also Diogo escaped, but with a waza-ari on the board, enough for the victory. Again a Hungarian victory like last year when Szabina Gercsak took the title U63kg. Pupp is the first lightweight though since Viktoria Nagy took the European Junior title in 1997 U48kg (aged 15) and in 2000 U52kg.

Cristina Budescu of Moldova regained her medal of 2013, last year she finished fifth but this time she could overcome Miriam Schneider for Bronze. French Sephora Corcher won bronze as well.

French Walide Khyar was certainly one of the favourites, and managed to deal with that pressure. In the final U60kg Khyar defeated Samuel Hall, the first male finalist since 2011, and before Max Stewart lost that final (too) it was Craig Fallon in 2001 to be in the final, but also didn’t win for Great Britain. Anyhow it was good to have Hall in the final and he won’t be the last. Last year Jodie Myers obviously won the heavyweight title in the women’s division. In France they are more spoiled with titles. Khyar took the 70st in history, in fact each year at least one title for the French since 2006, when amongst other Teddy Riner took the title, we know what happened to him.

Another bronze medal for Moldova, Denis Vieru defeated Marcel Bizon (GER), another good sign of the developments in Moldova. Tornike Nagliashvili took the first medal for Georgia.

Where you would expect Anja Stangar or Larisa Florian on the stage for women U52kg was wrong, both finished fifth but Astride Gneto could controle the ambitions of Bettina Temelkova of Bulgaria. With one more penalty the Bulgarian had to admit the French was today’s happiest. Gneto booked her first win of the season and could improve last year’s silver medal. She succeeded Italian Odette Giuffrida in Oberwart. The French already claimed more gold medals after one day then last year’s two fighting days in Bucharest. For Bulgaria it was the fourth year in a row with a medal, also not bad. Turkey added a third medal by Damla Caliskan and Distria Krasniqi took the first medal for Kosovo.

Austria had the first chance on a medal in the men’s U66kg category but Lukas Reiter lost his bronze bout against Patryk Wawrzyczek of Poland. Bilal Ciloglu of Turkey took the fourth medal for his country, but the gold was for Pavel Patokov of Russia. He needed just 45 seconds to defeat Bogdan Iadov of the Ukraine. Iadov also won silver at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing. Patokov has good memories to Austria, he won this year in Oberwart and in August he won in Berlin.

Dutch Dewy Karthaus, one of the strongest this season lost to Tecla Cadilla of Spain in the semi final in a moment of inattention by oseikomi and had to fight Julia Kowalczyk (POL), and again gave her match away in the last minute. Kowalczyk came through with a great o-uchi gari to win the bronze medal for Poland. Bekky Livesey of Great Britain finally won bronze, she was fifth last year, the first Junior European medal in the family. The gold for women U57kg was for Stefania Dobre of Romania. Also in the juniors the Romanian women reign in Europe, although in all honesty Dobre is the first ever European Champion in this category for her country. Dobre was double Cadet Champion U57kg and moves on in Europe with this golden milestone. Tecla Cadilla couldn’t get her grip in the final and was penalties behind the whole match. The taller Dobre stole the time in the last minute and didn’t give away the victory.

The men of Slovenia are not very spoiled with European titles, Martin Hojak was the seventh to qualify for the final, Aljaz Sedej was the only one to bring those finals to a golden end. In the final U73kg Hojaks opponent was Tamazi Kirakozashvili. Halfway the match Hojak was two penalties behind, but at two minutes it was Hojak who caught the leg of the Georgian and got disqualified. Gold for Georgia, another silver for Slovenia.

Artem Khomula defeat Murat Bektas in the last minute and took the second medal for the Ukraine. 15 Seconds for the end he added a waza-ari to his yuko and took bronze. Giorgi Katsiashvili of Georgia won second medal for his country in this category defeating Akil Gjakova of Kosova.

France took one more medal than Holland both collecting two European titles, that’s a great start in Oberwart.