Preview day 3 of the European Championships in Montpellier

On the third and final day of the Senior European Championships 2023 the women’s U78kg will be one of the great weights to follow. World ranking leader Alice Bellandi of Italy is back on great form and the number one candidate to take her first European title. She continues to prove her superiority, taking yet another gold last week in Abu Dhabi. A great rival of Bellandi is Inbar Lanir (ISR), after a 4-0 winning streak, Bellandi fell to Lanir in the semi-final of the world championships in Doha where the Israeli athlete became champion.

France has a challenge in the U78kg category, with both Audrey Tcheumeo (WRL #3), the 2014 European champion in Montpellier, and Madeleine Malonga (WRL #5) vying for an Olympic spot. Germany has WRL #4 and #8 also in a great race, with Anna-Maria Wagner and Alina Boehm. Boehm is coming to Montpellier to defend her European title from 2022. Rounding out the seeds is Patricia Sampaio (POR), but the talent doesn't end there, with Ukraine's Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UKR) sitting just outside.

The competition is heating up in the +78kg category on Sunday, with Raz Hershko (ISR) leading. She will be in competition with the #2 seed and home sensation, Romane Dicko. Rochelle Nunes (POR) took gold last week in Abu Dhabi and is on a roll as of recent. The Netherlands have doubled their chances with Marit Kamps and Karen Stevenson within the top eight, and the strength continues from team Serbia with Milica Zabic in fifth seeded position. In the last coveted spot is Sophio Somkhishvili (GEO).

In the men’s division Luka Maisuradze (GEO) is competing to defend his 2022 European title, with the weight of the red back patch behind him. Though everyone knows by now that the world-ranked #1 has a number of great rivals, unfortunately, the main one is teammate and current Olympic champion, Lasha Bekauri. In their previous head-to-head, which just happened to be the IJF Masters final, Bekauri was the victor, but the pair gave a tremendous show regardless, and if all goes to plan, the top two seeds will have their third final of the year.

Aside from the strong Georgian entry, we look to the likes of Christian Parlati (ITA) and Tóth Krisztian (HUN) to round off the top four. Further afield is the recent Abu Dhabi Grand Slam gold medallist, Nemanja Majdov (SRB), who defeated Spain's new U90kg medal candidate Tristani Mosakhlishvili, who sits just outside of the seeding positions. Even further down the ranking, last year's silver medallist, Darko Brasnjovic (SRB). Noel Van 't End (NED), Ivaylo Ivanov (BUL) are also in the top eight ranked athletes in this category, along with one of the home favorites, 2022 IJF Masters winner, Alexis Mathieu (FRA). He isn't the only representative for France, however, as Axel Clerget accompanies him.

The U100kg category continues to be one of the most unpredictable, with the depth of talent reaching to the depths of the ranking. This is also a strong category globally, and though the top four competing are the top four in the world ranking, the next is WRL #11. Ilia Sulamanidze (GEO) leads the charge, rising to the top in style, the cool and casual contender, and not too dissimilar is the #2, Zelym Kotsoiev (AZE) who is looking for another gold medal this year, and to complete his continental championships collection, cadet and junior titles already in the bag. Next up is Michael Korrel (NED), the defending European champion in the U100kg category, and just behind is Peter Paltchik (ISR), yet another European champion in this weight from 2020. This weekend will truly be a battle of the best.

The champion trend continues with Aleksandar Kukolj (SRB), granted his title was in the U90kg category. However, he has made it clear he is a top contender in the heavier weight, having placed second at the world championships in 2021. Matvey Kanikovskiy (AIN), one of the youngest in the category, took a junior European gold in 2021 and has since medaled in every IJF World Tour tournament. Finishing off the ranking, we have double world champion, Jorge Fonseca (POR), and in the eighth seeded position, arguably one of the most entertaining judoka on the tour, Aaron Fara (AUT).

Finnish sensation and IJF Masters champion, Martti Puumalainen, will be competing and all eyes will be on this exciting athlete. Double Olympic champion Lukas Krpalek (CZE) is entering the heavier of his two categories at the moment and will be in the seeding. Richard Sipocz (HUN) is still looking for his senior title, and joining him as one of the younger competitors is Losseni Kone, one half of the German entry. The lineup following him is rather exciting, with the Dutch having another duo in the top positions, Jelle Snippe and Roy Meyer. Above them are Ushangi Kokauri (AZE) and Guram Tushishvili (GEO), the 2018 World Championship finalists.