Two golds for BiH at historic judo competition

(Patria) - The first competitive day of the European Judo Cup for young hopes fully justified the decision of the European Judo Union (EJU) to include the new competition in its calendar, and to entrust the technical organization to the Judo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In addition to the competition, all young competitors have the opportunity to learn from Olympic medalists through a seminar. Their rich knowledge and experience were presented to the young judokas by the gold medalist from the Sydney Olympic Games, Japan's Makoto Takimoto, who was in the role of Kodokan expert, as well as Maria Centracchio, a bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympic Games.

- It is not difficult for me to pass on knowledge and passion to young judokas to help them develop. I sincerely hope that I will inspire young people in life to become stronger and achieve better results than me. I am grateful to be here and to share my passion with them - said former Italian judoka Maria Centracchio, adding:

"I think the most important thing is that this competition is designed with training, so the focus is not only on the competition but also a lot of attention is paid to training. I believe that training and competition are a very good combination".



By awarding the technical organization of the first competition of this kind in the world, dedicated to the development of young judokas, our national federation was given an exceptional honor.

- It is no surprise that we were entrusted with the technical organization of such a competition, especially due to the fact that we have confirmed our organizational abilities countless times, which is why in 2022 the EJU awarded us the "Best of the Best" award, which is given to the best technical organizer on European soil - said the honorary president of the Judo Federation of BiH, Branislav Crnogorac.

Along with the great names of judo sport, who shared their experience and knowledge with the younger generation, the first competitive day of the European Judo Hopes Cup in Arena Hills was graced by Olympic champions from Rio de Janeiro, Majlinda Kelmendi and Tina Trstenjak, as well as Azerbaijan's Rustam Orujov, who won a silver medal at the same Games.

It is difficult to imagine a major international competition in our country without the domestic judo greats Larisa Cerić and Amel Mekić.

- The Judo Federation of BiH enjoys great respect from the European Judo Union, and they have entrusted us with the technical organization of the first historic European Cup for competitors up to 15 years old - emphasized Larisa Cerić, adding:

"In addition to the competition itself, a seminar is also being held, and it will surely mean a lot to the children who are here, as well as the fact that judokas who have done a lot to promote judo sport throughout their careers are here".

The results of our competitors also confirmed that our federation does not need to worry much about the future of judo.

Gold medals were won by Marija Simanić (-52 kg) and Tea Simić (-48 kg). Silver medals went to Ella Čehajić (-48 kg) and Lazar Vujičić (-46 kg), while bronze medals were won by Marija Jokić, Ahmad Nur Hasan (-40 kg), Amina Begić (-44 kg), and Kristijan Đurđević (-50 kg).