Savita Russo returns to international competition on Friday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, four months after an elbow injury in Mongolia halted her qualification campaign for the Los Angeles Games, La Sicilia reported. The 2005-born judoka from Gs Fiamme Azzurre competes in the 63 kg category, seeking crucial ranking points after wearing the blue jersey at the Paris 2024 Games.
Return to the Tatami in Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam marks Russo’s first tournament appearance since June, when she competed in Ulaanbaatar. During that Mongolian event, she defeated Azerbaijan’s Fidan Alizada in her opening match before falling to the Netherlands’ Joanne van Lieshout in the next round. That defeat ended her run for the podium and the ranking points attached to it. For her comeback, Russo prepared between Turin under coach Francesco Bruyere and at the Koizumi gym in Scicli with Maurizio Pelligra, who discovered and launched her career.
Sicily Contingent and Pelligra’s Campaign
Russo is not the only athlete from the Koizumi Scicli school traveling to the United Arab Emirates. Vincenzo Pelligra, son of Maurizio Pelligra, joins her in representing Gs Fiamme Azzurre. Competing in the 81 kg category, Pelligra is also hunting for points for Olympic qualification. He enters the Abu Dhabi tournament following a top-seven finish at the May 2025 Grand Slam event in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, as reported by La Sicilia.
Under 23 European Championships Shift in Naples
While the senior national team competes in the United Arab Emirates, domestic action unfolds in Italy at the Under 23 European Championships in Naples. Sofia Mazzola of Virtus Villabate, competing for Cs Carabinieri in the 48 kg category, steps in to represent Italy. Carnà, who trains under Marco and Fabrizio Fantauzzo and defends Gs Fiamme Oro, sits out the Naples tournament due to a muscle strain. Carnà arrives following a ninth-place finish in her senior World Championship debut in Baku.
Next Steps in the Olympic Cycle
Following Friday’s opening bouts in Abu Dhabi and Naples, athletes will look toward the remainder of the international judo calendar to accumulate ranking points for the Los Angeles Games qualification cycle.
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