The Podgorica Senior European Cup saw an exciting showdown in the -52kg final between two Serbian judoka, Andrea STOJADINOV and Nikolina NISAVIC. Both athletes entered the tournament with different goals but found themselves facing each other in a highly anticipated final, showcasing their skills and growth.
After her defeat in the final, Stojadinov reflected on her decision to compete in Podgorica. “It was a last-minute decision to come and compete here, just to have quality matches that would last long and help build confidence,” – she explained. “I needed to get peace with my attacks and work on my errors. Last weekend in Zagreb, I lost a contest that everyone expected me to win and under that kind of pressure, you lose focus. You start panicking and rushing things, making mistakes you shouldn’t. Today really helped me, I was able to take it one step at a time, stick to the tactics, and stay calm. When I got tired, it wasn’t from stress but from the long contest. It was a really good decision to come.”
Going off topic for a moment and reflecting on her path to the Paris 2024 Olympics, Stojadinov shared how challenging the journey had been emotionally and mentally after suffering an injury. “I worked a lot to be able to forget it,” – she admitted. “In February, when I got injured, I knew my race for Paris was basically over. Since then, I have been building my confidence. Watching the Paris Games and the medal ceremony was really hard, but now, after a lot of hard work from me and my team, I am able to put that period behind me. I’m okay, and my team and I are focused on LA 2028.”
Back to Podgorica, Stojadinov shares her thoughts on the final. “Once again, that contest was proof that I should stick to the plan. When I got tired, and Nikolina kept coming through with her attacks, I lost focus. We know each other very well, having trained together and competed at nationals. We knew it would be a struggle. I was surprised we had so many scores and not more shido. Nikolina is a tough opponent with a very specific style. She is consistent, and it’s a good fight for me. I am very happy for her gold medal win. She is shaping up to be a real diamond, and I expect a lot from her.”
After their final bout, it was time to hear from the junior European champion 2024, Nikolina Nisavic, who had just claimed her second gold medal in two weeks. “This tournament for me was preparation for the Junior World Championships in Dushanbe and of course, I am so happy to win another gold medal,” – she said. “I had a lot of good fights and none of them were easy. Winning gold at the senior level is something I still can’t believe. I’m really happy to fight like this at this level.”
When asked about facing her teammate and a leading example of Serbian women’s judo [Stojadinov] in the final, Nisavic responded with admiration and composure. “Andrea has beaten me many times at national championships and I was happy to win today. We have a good relationship and I look forward to fighting her again. I respect her a lot but when it’s game time, I focus on myself. When I won today, I didn’t want to celebrate too much because I respect Andrea as both a competitor and a friend. That is my way of showing respect.”
The excitement didn’t end with the -52kg final. Nikolina Nisavic’s twin sister, Kristina, was also in action, securing a bronze medal in the -57kg category. Nikolina shared her thoughts on watching her sister compete, saying, “I always get more nervous when I watch her fighting. We are so connected. I was sad when she lost earlier but now that she won bronze, my day feels complete.”
Both Stojadinov and Nisavic demonstrated a core judo value today, showing mutual respect for each other. Their competitive spirit promises more exciting days to come as they continue to push each other to new heights in their own individual weight categories, Stojadinov in the -48kg category and Nisavic in the -52kg category.
Full results from the Podgorica Senior European Cup are available on judotv.com
Author: Szandra Szogedi