Angelika Szymanska delivers gold to Poland at Euro Open Warsaw

Day one of the Warsaw European Open 2025 was a great success for the host nation, with Poland securing both a gold and a bronze medal in the opening men's and women's categories. Angelika Szymanska delivered the first victory for Poland in the -63kg category, while Jakub Kurowski battled to claim bronze in the -60kg division.

Szymanska, a World silver medallist, was in complete control throughout the day. Her technical dominance in ne waza carried her through each round with ease, and she wasted no time in the final against Romania’s Amanda Zuaznabar-Torres. In just 30 seconds, she applied a perfectly executed juji gatame to win the gold medal, celebrating with the home crowd as Poland’s national anthem echoed through the CAiLS Sports Hall.  

In the -60kg category, Kazakhstan secured a gold and silver in an all-Kazakh final, with Sherzod Davlatov defeating Aman Bakytzhan. However, Europe did not leave empty-handed, as Luis Barroso Lopez of Spain and Poland’s Jakub Kurowski both claimed bronze. Kurowski’s medal came after an exhausting eight-minute battle against Georgia’s Tornike Maziashvili, making it an especially hard-fought victory for the Polish judoka.  

Germany celebrated its first gold of the day in the -70kg category, with Dena Pohl taking the top prize against Portugal’s Barbara Timo. It was an unusual final as both athletes are typically seen in the -63kg division, but they fought their way through to this new weight class. Timo, a former World silver medallist in the category, was a strong contender, but Pohl’s momentum carried her through. A minute and a half into the final, she launched a massive o goshi, securing ippon and winning her first European Open medal—and it was gold.  

Germany had another finalist in Nicolas Kunze, who aimed to take the -66kg gold, but he faced a tough challenge in Italy’s Elios Manzi, ranked #33 in the world. The two fought intensely throughout the match, but with only 18 seconds left, Manzi found his moment. Using slick ashi waza, he scored a decisive yuko to claim victory. The European Championships bronze medallist was thrilled with his performance, celebrating with his coach, Antonio Ciano.  

Germany’s gold count did not stop there, as Julie Hoelterhoff stepped onto the tatami in the -78kg final against Brazil’s Karol Gimenes. Both athletes fought fiercely, but in the final seconds, Hoelterhoff made her move. She initially attempted uchi mata before switching to sumi gaeshi, scoring a match-winning waza ari and securing her second European Open gold medal. This victory added to her already impressive collection, marking her ninth international medal.  

A career-defining moment came for Great Britain’s Benjamin Levy in the -73kg category. Having impressed in the preliminary rounds, Levy faced Italy’s Fabrizio Esposito in the final. Though he fell behind with two shidos, the momentum seemed to favor Esposito. However, after two and a half minutes of golden score, Levy seized his chance. A perfectly executed uchi mata sealed his first-ever European Open gold medal as a senior athlete, adding to the bronze he won in Montreal.  

The final of the +78kg category was the shortest contest of the day. France’s Grace-Esther Mienandi Lahou wasted no time against Ukraine’s Ruslana Bulavina, executing an immediate o soto gari for ippon in a matter of moments. It was a dominant performance and a well-earned gold for the French judoka.  

The first day of the Warsaw European Open 2025 delivered high-level judo, exciting contests, and great moments for the home crowd, with Poland getting off to a strong start.