European Judo Cup Sarajevo: Jente Verstraeten (-48kg) in silver, Verfaillie (-57kg) beaten for bronze

Already second last year at the same event, his first medal at this level, Janet Verstraeten won another silver medal in the -48kg final at the European Judo Cup event in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Saturday. Luna Verfaillie (-57kg) was beaten for the bronze medal and finished 5th.

Jente Verstraeten (IJF 114), 22, beat Hungarian Fanni Vaska, 19, in the quarterfinals then Turkish Melisa Arslan, 25, in the semi-finals. In the final, Jente Verstraeten was beaten by another 19-year-old Hungarian, Rebeka Rita Koszegi (IJF 91). In -57kg, Luna Verfaillie, 19, lost in the match for bronze against Finland’s Pihla Matikainen (IJF 211), 26. To get there, the young Flandrienne had beaten the Polish Paulina Zemla, 22, in the second round when she entered the running before winning against the Swiss Olivia Gertsch, 65th in the world, 21, in the quarters. In the semi-finals, the Belgian junior champion was beaten by the Bosnian Andjela Samardzic (IJF 43), 22 years old. On Sunday, three other Belgians will compete on the Sarajevo tatami with Jarne Duyck (IJF 189), 20, in -81kg, Jitse Van den Herrewegen (IJF 183), 22, in -90 kg and Vicky Verschaere, 22 , in -78 kg for the ladies.