Three medals were won at the Under 23 European Championships which were held in Pila, Poland, by the Turin athletes called to represent the Italian national judo team. One medal more than the 2023 edition in Berlin (then it was Gold with Erica Simonetti in the heavyweights and Bronze with Francesco Cargnelutti in the 66 kg) even if the highlight of the Gold medal was missing.
The first day of competition immediately gave us a lightning start Giulia Ghiglione in the 48 kg who, after last year’s bronze in the junior class, reaffirmed his qualities in the older age class. The Ligurian (she is from Andora), who moved to Turin with her grandmother Franca to be able to train in Settimo Torinese in the prestigious Akiyama, easily eliminated the Azerbaijani Mirzalyeva, the Polish Wozniak and in the semi-final the Spanish Gomez Antona. In the final, against the Swedish Olympic bronze medalist at Paris 2024 Tara Babulfath, she started very well, putting her opponent in difficulty who however got the better of the Italian over the distance.
Similar path for Federico Ninfo who in the 66 kg category easily defeated the Estonian Lipard, the dangerous Portuguese Lampreia, the Israeli Fiks and in the semi-final the Bulgarian Yotov. All-blue final with her Apulian teammate Giuseppe De Tullio. Ninfo, ahead for almost the entire match, surrendered to the greater experience of the Apulian in the final but considering his age (he is still a junior class) one can only praise his feat, with his first important medal on the European circuit.
Erica Simonettirepresentative of the ARMY Olympic sports center who has been training in Settimo since the age of seven, was unable to repeat the success of the 2023 Edition but still climbed onto the European podium demonstrating impressive stubbornness and quality. Certainly at the end of an intense season where he collected medals in Grand Prix and at the military world championships it was not easy to find the best condition but champions are seen above all in difficult situations and this was proof of that.
Out of a total of eighteen athletes called up by Federjudo, nine were from Turin, belonging to Akiyama of Settimo Torinese and Accademia di Torino and of the seven medals won in the Polish event by the Azzurri, three returned to Turin which has been confirmed for years as the Italian capital of judo!
