Greek judokas impressed at the European U21 Cup at Montenegro by claiming three medals, two fifth-place finishes, and two seventh-place finishes at the competition.
Marielena Gogoua (-48kg) secured a silver medal, while Panagiotis Kyvelidis (-90kg) and Ioannis Kostelidou (+100kg) both climbed onto the third podium step. Dimitris Georgiadis (-60kg) and Alexandra Papayiannaki (-70kg) narrowly missed out on medals, finishing in fifth place, while Evaggelia Gavala (-52kg) and Galini Syrinidou (-63kg) came in seventh in their respective categories.
For both Gogoua and Kyvelidis, these were their first international medals in European Judo Union (EJU) competitions. Gogoua, who has consistently reached podium finishes in U18 and U21 events over the past year, won her silver medal with two victories in three matches. Kyvelidis, competing in a field of 20 athletes, required four wins to secure his first EJU medal. Notably, the 18-year-old Kyvelidis achieved fifth place in the U18 World Championship and seventh place in the European Championship two years ago.
Kostelidou tripled his EJU medal haul with a bronze medal win in the super heavyweight category. In 2023, he won the U18 European Cup in Naples and secured third place at the U21 European Cup in Skopje.
Georgiadis and Papayiannaki reached the repechage finals but ultimately finished in fifth place, each with two wins in four matches. Gavala and Syrinidou finished seventh in their weight classes.
The Greek team will remain in Podgorica until March 13 to participate in an EJU training camp.
(Source: AMNA)
