The first final of the Cadet European Championships was the -40kg bout between last years silver and bronze medallists, Patricia TOMANKOVA (SVK) and Nina AUER (AUT) respectively. Both had challenging semi finals, going in to golden score, but Tomankova clearly had no intention of dragging it out again and was desperate to rectify last years result.
I’m really excited about this title, especially after last year taking second place so this final was very important for me. I was preparing in Japan first and then the OTC in Poreč so I felt really prepared today and it was really good for me so I think I’ll be back next year again!
Tomankova’s record shows that she now has a 14/14 record, never leaving a tournament without a medal which is impressive itself, but to say that eight of those are Cadet European Cup golds is even more so. Last year in Poreč she narrowly missed out on the gold medal and has been preparing for this moment since. Of course, she powered through her initial rounds but Mathilde AUREL (FRA) really made her work for a place in the final and came very close to scoring, but a sumi gaeshi in golden score brought the Slovakian athlete the win and in for a second chance at the European title.
I wasn’t expecting to go so long in the semi final but I was very excited when I threw for waza ari to get in to the final.
Auer most definitely improved on her 2022 performance, and regardless of the final result was already at least one place better off, but the final started to go in favour of Tomankova early on as she scored waza ari, and then continued to demonstrate her abilities in ne waza, securing the shime waza for her first continental title. With this Cadet European title, she made history, becoming the first Slovakian athlete to take gold at this level.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen