The second half of the first day of the European Judo Championships of the Small States Nicosia 2024 began with the event’s opening ceremony, which featured inspiring speeches from a number of special guests, as well as the presentation of awards to two local judoka for their recent outstanding achievements. Zanet MICHAELIDOU was honoured for her bronze medal at the Abu-Dhabi Grand Slam 2024, while Sofia ASVESTA was recognised for her participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Finally, the efforts of the Local Organising Committee were also recognised.
Malta and San Marino joined the rest with action in the senior competition. While the latter had a lone competitor and fallen short to medal, the Maltese team delivered with a series of good performances. Katryna ESPOSITO, Paris 2024 Olympian delivered the expected result, winning the -48kg category with ease. Meanwhile, James ZAHRA finally broke the silver ‘curse’ by winning the -60kg category. He shared his thoughts after the medal ceremony;
It is finally gold and not silver. I am very happy. Today I was in control of the final, there was a little mistake and I was able to correct it and win the competition. It happens, I better not do it again and I should have taken him back with a counter attack; in the end I finished it with a shime-waza, which probably suits my style of judo better. This medal represents perseverance and shows that I can still get the gold. It is also a good motivation for the future as I look to return to the IJF World Tour next year.
Malta picked up another medal, bronze for Aleksa STOJANOVIC in the -60kg category, as the hosts continued to dominate in the senior event. Despite fielding the largest number of competitors, the Cypriots were not guaranteed a gold medal at each occasion. Theodoros MANDRIDES, one of the head coaches of the Cypriot team at this event, summed up the day, reflecting on the overall performance of the team, both cadet and junior whilst explaining the benefits of this event.
I am very grateful and satisfied with the outcome for the cadets. We had the best time here, fought well, and the experience was positive overall. However, I am less pleased with the seniors’ performance. There were several matches that did not meet my expectations. It could be due to tiredness and the long day, but either way, the results on paper did not match the vision I had in mind. Overall, I am not disappointed at all but I know we could have done better in certain weight categories. The effort in preparation was there, some athletes came straight from the ISF Gymnasiade in Bahrain, while others spent a month training in Georgia. For the cadets, we organised a training camp in the mountains and we all spent the final weeks preparing in this stadium.
This event brings many benefits. It gains visibility through platforms like judotv.com, official Telegram channels and the EJU website. This exposure is crucial for us as a nation, highlighting the importance of performing well and our organisation skills. For the cadets, this is an incredible opportunity, especially for those competing internationally for the first time. It builds experience, confidence, and motivation. They also had the chance to stay and watch the seniors, with some even participating.
Finally, for the seniors, gaining experience is invaluable. Being an island, it is not easy or affordable to travel frequently for international competitions. One of our goals is to bring more events here and demonstrate that Cyprus can host the judo community. To become a great judoka, athletes must travel and do randori with others and we hope to welcome Europe soon to do that here. Our dedication, hard work and the beauty of our island, with its sunshine, would surely leave a lasting impression.
Evidently, Cyprus topped the overall medal table in the senior event (7-7-7), followed by Montenegro (3-1-0), Luxembourg (2-3-2) and Malta (2-0-1). Full results for both the cadet and senior events can be viewed on judotv.com. The complete photo gallery can be found at eju.net. The second and final day of the tournament will feature actions from the mixed team event. To keep up to date, join the EJU Event Channel on Telegram.
Images: Emanuele DI FELICIANTONIO
Author: Szandra Szogedi