Two days filled with effort and desire of the best cadets in Europe in Zagreb showed once again why the European Cadet Cup in Zagreb is one of the most respected judo competitions, and Croatian judoka Marćelina Vranješ (over 70 kg) closed it in the best way, with a gold medal, reported Slobodna Dalmacija.
At the European Cadet Cup, which brought as many as 698 athletes from 32 countries to Zagreb despite all the troubles in Europe, Croatia had 48 representatives. Turkey and Israel surpassed that number, sending 64 and 78 competitors, respectively.
The medal for Croatia was won by Marćelina Vranješ (over 70 kg), who on Sunday showed the splendor of talent and in four fights reached first place in her category. The young woman from Split was free in the first round and then celebrated with an ippon against Hassan, making up for the wazari advantage scored by the British.
An ippon in the last minute of the quarterfinals against the Serbian representative Jovanović sent Marćelina to the semifinals. After that, in another turnaround, this time against the French judoka Lang, placed the young girl from Split in the finals. There, in less than a minute, Vranješ defeated the Frenchwoman Cancan and deservedly took the gold medal.
Judokas from 26 countries took the podium, and the representatives of France had the most success, winning seven gold, three silver, and eight bronze medals. The Turkish cadets won one gold and two silver and bronze medals, while the Romanians returned home with one gold and two silver. A large number of national teams remained in Zagreb after the competition because, from March 14 to 16, a training camp will be held.
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