Losseni Kone secured a bronze medal in the mixed-team competition at the European Judo Championships in Podgorica, overcoming a challenging start in the heavyweight division. According to reports from the Berlin Judo Association, the SC Alstertal-Langenhorn athlete rebounded from an opening-round singles defeat to anchor crucial victories for the German Judo Federation (DJB) squad.
Path to the Podgorica Podium
Following a tough loss on Saturday in the individual event—where he was held in a pinning technique by Ukraine’s Yevheniy Balyevskyy—Kone admitted his performance fell short of expectations. „Ich habe zwar gekämpft, aber irgendwie hat auch etwas gefehlt, ich konnte einfach nicht das abrufen, was ich wollte,“ Kone stated regarding his early singles setback, as documented by the Berlin Judo Association.”
Competing in the over-90-kilogram category alongside fellow teammate Erik Abramov, Kone quickly turned his focus toward the team tournament. He opened the team competition with a victory against Croatia’s Mikita Svirid. In the semifinal clash against Georgia, Kone was named to the lineup, though the match concluded before his bout was necessary because the team victory was already secured after four matches.
Crucial Overtime Wins and Tough Test Against Korea
During a tightly contested matchup against Brazil, Kone pushed into golden score (overtime) against Rafael Buzacarini. After 1 minute and 39 seconds of extra time, the Berlin-based heavyweight scored a decisive waza-ari using o-uchi-ari to swing momentum. Teammate Miriam Butkereit subsequently leveled the score against 2016 Olympic champion and 2022 world champion Rafaela Silva, before winning the tie-breaking golden score bout in just 27 seconds to send Germany into the next round.
The German squad later encountered a formidable Korean team, where Kone faced Kim Minjong, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist and 2024 world champion. The Korean standout capitalized midway through the bout with a yuko score and sealed the match at 3:48.
Securing Bronze Against Italy
In the bronze-medal match against Italy, Kone stepped onto the mat first for the German delegation. Facing Gennaro Pirelli, Kone established a yuko lead approximately two and a half minutes into the contest via ma-sutemi-waza. He successfully defended that advantage to claim a vital team point. Subsequent wins by Seija Ballhaus, Miriam Butkereit, and Eduard Trippel sealed a 4:1 team victory and the bronze medal.
„Es war heute ein sehr emotionaler Tag. Besonders im letzten Kampf war ich etwas nervös. Ich hatte das Gefühl da kann was gehen. Am Ende hat es geklappt. Natürlich möchte ich das demnächst auch im Einzel umsetzen,“ Kone reflected after the medal ceremony, according to the Berlin Judo Association.”
