Alice Bellandi Wins European Judo Gold in Tbilisi, Defeats Emma Reid in Dominant Final
TBILISI, Georgia — Italian judoka Alice Bellandi delivered a commanding performance to capture the European Championships title in the women’s 78kg division on Saturday, defeating Britain’s Emma Reid in the final with a decisive ippon just over two minutes into the contest. The victory marks Bellandi’s first continental senior gold and solidifies her status as one of Europe’s rising stars in the heavyweight category.
The final, held at the Olympic Palace in Tbilisi, unfolded with Bellandi asserting control early. Using her signature left-handed grip and powerful seoi-nage (shoulder throw), she off-balanced Reid within the first 30 seconds. A well-timed ouchi-gari (inner leg sweep) followed, forcing Reid to defend and creating the opening for Bellandi to transition into a pinning combination. Reid attempted to bridge and escape, but Bellandi maintained pressure, rolling into a successful osaekomi-waza (hold-down) that the referee awarded as ippon at 2:17 of the match.
The win caps a strong tournament for Bellandi, who entered the competition as the fifth seed. She began her campaign with a first-round bye before defeating Ukraine’s Yuliia Kurchenko via waza-ari in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, she faced a tough test against Poland’s Beata Pacut-Kloczko, the 2022 European bronze medalist, prevailing by decision after a tightly contested bout that went to golden score. Her semifinal victory over France’s Madeleine Malonga — a two-time world medalist and 2020 Olympic silver medalist — was perhaps her most impressive, as she scored waza-ari early and controlled the pace to advance.
“I knew Madeleine would be dangerous, but I stuck to my game plan,” Bellandi said in the mixed zone after her semifinal win. “I stayed patient, looked for my openings, and when they came, I took them.” That same composure carried into the final against Reid, who had earned her place in the title match with victories over Germany’s Anna-Maria Wagner and Slovenia’s Metka Lobnik.
Reid, a 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and consistent presence on the World Tour, showed resilience throughout the tournament. Her run to the final included a hard-fought semifinal win over Lobnik, where she scored two shido penalties against her opponent to advance. But, she struggled to find her rhythm against Bellandi’s aggressive left-sided attack, which repeatedly disrupted her posture and prevented her from establishing her preferred right-handed grip.
The atmosphere inside the Olympic Palace was electric, with Georgian fans filling the stands to support their local athletes while applauding high-level judo from all nations. The venue, which hosted judo events during the 2015 European Games, provided a compact, intense setting that amplified every grip fight and throw attempt. Competition ran from morning preliminaries to the evening finals block, with the women’s 78kg final serving as the penultimate match before the open-weight category showdown.
Bellandi’s victory adds to Italy’s growing medal haul at the championships, where the team has already secured multiple podium finishes in lighter weight classes. Her gold follows a bronze medal by compatriot Asya Tavano in the 57kg division earlier in the week and positions Italy strongly ahead of the Olympic qualification period. With the Paris 2024 Games less than a year away, results at Tbilisi carry direct implications for world ranking points and seeding considerations.
According to the International Judo Federation (IJF) world ranking list updated after the tournament, Bellandi moved up to No. 6 in the women’s 78kg division, gaining nearly 100 points from her European title. Reid, despite the loss, retained her position in the top 10, sitting at No. 8 following her silver-medal performance.
“This medal means a lot,” Bellandi said, her voice still carrying the adrenaline of victory. “I’ve worked so hard for this moment. To win here, in front of such a passionate crowd, against tough opponents every step of the way — it’s everything I hoped for.” She dedicated the win to her coaches at the Centro Sportivo Carabinieri and her training partners in Rome, noting the sacrifices made during a demanding preparation cycle that included altitude training camps and international competition blocks.
Looking ahead, Bellandi is expected to compete at the upcoming World Championships in Abu Dhabi later this year, where she will aim to build on her fifth-place finish from the 2023 edition in Doha. Reid, meanwhile, will shift focus to the Grand Slam circuit, with stops in Paris and Baku scheduled for the early autumn months as part of her Olympic qualification push.
The European Judo Union confirmed that the next edition of the Championships will take place in 2025, with the host city yet to be announced. For now, Bellandi returns to Italy as continental champion, her name added to the list of Italian judoka who have stood atop the podium at this prestigious event.
For fans wishing to follow future competitions, live results, athlete profiles, and official rankings are available through the International Judo Federation’s website. Highlights from the Tbilisi finals, including Bellandi’s victory over Reid, are expected to be published on the European Judo Union’s official YouTube channel in the coming days.
What’s next for Alice Bellandi? Her next confirmed assignment is a training camp with the Italian national team in September, ahead of the World Championships in Abu Dhabi from October 20–27. Fans can share thoughts or reactions in the comments below, and are encouraged to share this article if it brought clarity to a memorable moment in European judo.
