Italy’s judo team failed to secure a medal on the third day of the 2026 European Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, as all five athletes entered in competition were eliminated before reaching the quarterfinals.
The third day of competition at the European Judo Championships featured events in the men’s -81 kg and -90 kg divisions, along with the women’s -70 kg category. Italy fielded Irene Pedrotti and Giorgia Stangherlin in the women’s -70 kg, Leonardo Casaglia and Antonio Esposito in the men’s -81 kg, and Kenny Komi Bedel in the men’s -90 kg.
In the women’s -70 kg division, Pedrotti opened her campaign with a victory over Georgian Nino Gulbani, winning by three shido penalties. However, her run ended in the round of 16 when she lost to Russia’s Madina Taimazova. The decision came after a golden score period in which an initial yuko score awarded to Pedrotti was rescinded and given to her opponent following 6 minutes and 13 seconds of extra time.
Stangherlin began her match with a win over Ukraine’s Olha Tsimko, scoring a yuko in golden score. She was then defeated by France’s Melkia Auchecorne, who secured a waza-ari to advance to the quarterfinals. Stangherlin had managed to score a yuko late in the match, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.
On the men’s side, Esposito defeated Israel’s Itay Bibitko by ippon in golden score to reach the round of 16, where he faced Ukraine’s Mykhailo Svidrak. Esposito lost by yuko-ippon, ending his tournament. Casaglia earned his opening victory against Lithuania’s Kestutis Vitkauskas via waza-ari but was then stopped by Finland’s Eetu Ihanamaki, who scored an ippon via osaekomi (hold-down technique).
Bedel’s campaign ended earliest of all Italian athletes, as he was defeated in his opening match by Georgia’s Lasha Bekauri via ippon after just 2 minutes and 15 seconds of competition.
With all Italian judoka eliminated before the quarterfinal stage, none advanced to the repechage rounds, which offer a path to bronze medal contention. The team will look to rebound on the final day of competition, which includes events in the men’s -100 kg and +100 kg divisions, as well as the women’s -78 kg and +78 kg categories.
Italy’s entries for the concluding day feature Gennaro Pirelli in the men’s -100 kg, Alice Bellandi in the women’s -78 kg, Erica Simonetti and Asya Tavano in the women’s +78 kg, and no athletes in the men’s +100 kg division.
The 2026 European Judo Championships are being held from April 16 to April 19 in Tbilisi, with the final day of competition scheduled for Sunday, April 19.
For continued updates on the European Judo Championships and other international judo events, readers are encouraged to follow official tournament coverage and share their thoughts on Italy’s performance in the comments below.
