A small delegation from the Judo Club Jena made its way to Frankfurt to take part in the Adler Cup – an international tournament that confidently describes itself as the “World Championship for Children”. In the U13 age group, a special set of rules ensured excitement: leverage techniques and attacks were expressly permitted – so not for the faint of heart!
The start was made by Elise Reuken, who had to assert herself in a strong field of participants with 14 starters. Right at the start she met Sarah Ziani (SC Concordia Pfungstadt) – a real endurance test. After three equal minutes and another four intense minutes in the Golden Score, Elise finally made the decision with a clean lever – a hard-fought victory!
In the second fight she gave Darcy Davies (Ford Judo Club, Great Britain) no chance and won after just 35 seconds. She also dominated Runa Schiemann (JC Malchin) confidently in the semi-finals.
The final against the Italian Ainoha Maldonado (Atletico Alexandria) was once again a real thriller. Elise initially took the lead with a Yuko, but her opponent quickly equalized. In the Golden Score, Elise once again demonstrated her strength on the floor and secured the tournament victory with a lever. An outstanding performance at the top international level!
In the weight class up to 36 kg, Marlene Reuken started in a strong field with 19 participants. As a fighter in the younger age group, she first had to get used to the special rules. In the opening fight she narrowly lost to the experienced Pole Iga Pas (Pretorian Team) in the golden score.
But Marlene showed great mental strength: In the consolation round she fought back with five impressive victories and deservedly secured the bronze medal. A great achievement and a strong signal to the competition!
Leonie Kostejn also showed a strong performance in the weight class up to 40 kg. After an opening win against a Swiss woman, she had to admit defeat to the eventual finalist Giovanna Brandao Figueiredo (Judo Club Beaufort, Luxembourg). Two more victories followed in the consolation round before Leonie narrowly lost in the fight for third place. With a fifth place she impressively demonstrated her potential and her fighting mentality.
Jeremiah Ziermann started in the weight class up to 43 kg and fought four fights – with two wins and two defeats. With over 40 participants, this time it wasn’t enough to place despite a fighting performance.
A special thank you goes to Thomas Sens, who professionally looked after the JC Jena athletes. Congratulations also to his daughter Luna Sens, who also sensationally won the tournament.
Theresa Reuken/25.10.2025
