On March 23, the tenth edition of the mixed team championship was held in Villemomble, «judo night», a triangular to which the Valencia Club de Judo was invited on this occasion and in which they managed to win the gold after beating the French teams of INSEP in Paris and Committee 93.
The Valencian team, led by Sugoi Uriarte, was made up of Julia Figueroa, María Ruiz, Wlada Kat, Elvismar Rodriguez, Yamilca Sivestre, Dani Perez, Alberto Varela, Alfonso Urquiza Medicson del Orbe and Robert Florentino.
Ukraine
Some Ukrainian athletes are training at the CEAR in Valencia after the war broke out in their country. Darya Bilodid, a 21-year-old Ukrainian judoka, the greatest exponent of Ukrainian sport and a world leader in women’s judo, having won two World Championships, two European championships and a bronze medal in Tokyo 2021 in the 48 kg category, has settled in Valencia, together with with his mother and coach. The CEAR of Valencia has been established as her new permanent training center. The Ukrainian youth national coach has also resumed training in Valencia along with a group of young promises.
Junior Yudocas
The junior category has had great activity during the month of March. Last weekend the sector phase of the Spain Championship and in fifteen days the final phase will be held, where several athletes from the Valencian Community will participate. At the international level, looking for points to qualify for the European and World Junior Championships, the Valencian judokas participated in the prestigious European Cup Junior Coimbra, on March 19 and 20. Louis Barroso the bronze medal was hung in -60 kg, after beating the Portuguese representative in the first round and, later, the French, the English and losing to the Austrian who would be proclaimed champion of the category. In the fight for bronze he beat the Italian representative. For his part, Davit Kevlishvili He was gold in +100 kg, beating the representatives of Estonia, France and Holland by ippon, managing to proclaim himself champion of the highest category at only 17 years of age.
Aitana Diaz and Aitana Fernandez They competed for the bronze in the 48 and 63 kg categories, both losing the medal to their rivals.
European Cups
Senior judokas participated in two European Cups, the one in Warsaw and the one in Prague. At European Open Warsaw, February 26 and 27, Alfonso Urquiza the gold medal was hung in -81 kg. A success that consolidates him as the first Spanish classified in the international ranking in his category. To achieve this, he faced the Czech representative in the round of 16, the French in the quarterfinals, the Pole in the semifinals and the final was played against the Canadian Etienne Briand, whom he defeated by ippon in a close match, thus obtaining gold.
Mireia Lapuerta, in -48 kg, got the bronze after defeating the French representative, the Polish, falling in the quarterfinals against the Turkish representative and beating another Turkish judoka in the bronze. Meanwhile, at the European Open in Prague (March 5 and 6), Mireia Lapuerta won gold in the -48 lg category. She reached the final after defeating the Mongolian, Austrian, Chilean and Italian representatives. She got the gold against the Spanish Laura Martínez with a beautiful ippon from Ura Nague.
James Bernabeuat -60 kg, and Daniel Perez, in -66 kg, disputed the bronze medal in their respective categories. Jaume gave the medal to the Portuguese representative, and Dani to the French representative.
