Judo Club St. Gallen-Gossau secured a bronze medal at the international Koroska Judo Tournament in Slovenia through U16 competitor Gian Luca Lona while the club’s men’s team finished fourth in the 1. Liga Region Ost.
Gian Luca Lona Claims Bronze in Slovenia
Competing against 27 judoka from 10 nations in the U16 under-55-kilogram category, Lona opened his tournament run with victories over opponents from Slovakia and Azerbaijan. He dropped his quarterfinal match to a fighter from Kazakhstan by ippon before rebounding through the repechage bracket. Two wins against Croatian opponents earned him a spot in the third-place match.
In the bronze medal contest against Italy’s Trefil, Lona secured the decisive score with a counter-attack just seconds before the end of regular time. The performance serves as a key international benchmark for the Swiss U16 national team as athletes prepare for the U18 Swiss Championships in December.
Men’s Team Finishes Fourth in 1. Liga Region Ost
The men’s squad closed out its campaign with three wins from its final four matches to take fourth place in the 10-team regional division. Despite missing a competitor in the 66-kilogram category during the home round in St. Gallen, the team edged the JC Wetzikon 2 squad 3–2 and recorded a 4–0 win against the second team of the Central Switzerland Judo and Ju-Jitsu Association (ZSJJV 2).
At the final round in Ebikon under team manager Pascal Urscheler, St. Gallen-Gossau fielded fighters across all five weight classes. The team defeated the BSC Arashi Yama Wil 4–1 before dropping a close 3–2 decision to league runners-up ZSJJV 1. Decisive points across the final rounds came from Sandro Knill, Claudio Knill, Martin Coray, Janick Federer, Sandro Federer, Samuel Baumgartner, and Johannes Marte, alongside support from JC Schaffhausen, JJJC Rheintal, and JC Hohenems.
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