Aleksandra Samardžić wins silver at Sarajevo Open

(Patria) - Aleksandra Samardžić wins silver at the Sarajevo European Judo Open
Judo representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina Aleksandra Samardžić won a silver medal at the fifth edition of the Sarajevo European Judo Open, which began today in Sarajevo.

The Bosnian and Herzegovinian Olympian reached the final of the up to 70 kilograms category with convincing victories, and was then defeated in a very uncertain final by representative Sarah Mehlau.

- It is always nice to step onto the podium, especially if it is an international competition for which the Judo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the technical organizer and host.

I regret that a good performance was not crowned with gold, but I am still happy with this success - said Aleksandra Samardžić after the fight.

Unfortunately, Aleksandra missed the opportunity to become only the second competitor to win gold twice at the Sarajevo European Open since it has been held (in 2021).

Unlike Aleksandra, her national teammates who competed today did not achieve more notable results, while some of them will compete tomorrow.

The European Judo Union (EJU) raises standards year after year, which makes technical organization increasingly demanding.

- This is a special day for us, we are proud to host a competition that attracts elite judokas to our country - said the President of the Judo Federation of BiH, Ognjen Pavlović, during the official opening ceremony, and thanked everyone who contributed to the organization of such a sports event, with special thanks to the EJU and President Laszlo Toth.

Rich experience in organizing major competitions is a facilitating factor for the Judo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as acknowledged by Branislav Crnogorac,

- The multitude of major international tournaments and competitions that we have organized in the past have honed us into very successful hosts and organizers. We are proud of the recognitions we have received from the EJU in recent years for successful technical organizations. They are certainly an additional obligation, but also a motivation - said Crnogorac.

The competition on the second day of the Sarajevo European Open starts on Sunday at 10 AM, when the preliminary fights begin, while the final block starts at 2 PM.