At the U23 European Judo Championships in Naples, the German mixed team claimed a hard-fought bronze medal after surviving two tiebreak shootouts and a grueling day of combat across multiple weight classes, judobund.de reported.
Naples Openings and the Georgian Tiebreak
The tournament began with a dramatic clash against Georgia that tested the depth of the German squad. Early victories by Tanja Grünewald and Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer staked the team to a strong position, but Georgia fought back to level the score at 3-2 ahead of the final regular bout. Joseph Lehniger stepped up to secure an equalizer for the German team, forcing an immediate tiebreak in the 73 kg division. In the golden-score extension, Lehniger dropped a wazaari score to his opponent, handing Georgia a 4-3 victory and pushing the German team into the repechage bracket.
Moldovan Repechage and the Golden Score
Rebounding in the repechage against Moldova, the German team faced another 3-3 deadlock after regulation wins from Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer, Joseph Lehniger, and Tanja Grünewald. With the match hanging in the balance, a second draw selected the 73 kg category for the decisive tiebreak. Making his fourth appearance of the day, Lehniger needed just 81 seconds to turn the tide, securing a crucial yuko score for a 4-3 triumph that propelled Germany into the bronze-medal playoff against Ukraine, which had dropped a 2-4 semifinal decision to France.
The Bronze Final Against Ukraine
The playoff for the third step of the podium began with a rematch of the previous day’s under-78 kg European Championship final, pitting Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer against Anna Kazakova. After a scoreless regulation period, the contest spilled into golden-score extra time, where Niemeyer finally broke through after 10 minutes and 36 seconds of total combat, earning a yuko via ko-uchi-gari. Mortaza Suha doubled the lead against Ivan Kutenkov in another overtime battle, locking in a yuko before applying a juji-gatame armlock to seal the win. Nina Güth added a third point by subduing Inna Shynkarenko with a hold-down after two minutes and 40 seconds. Though Joseph Lehniger fell 1-3 to Said-Magomed Khalidov, Tanja Grünewald clinched the team victory by defeating Mariia Rytska, wrapping up a 4-1 decision and the bronze medal.
Championship Podium and Final Standings
At the summit of the tournament, France captured the gold medal by defeating Georgia 4-3 in the final. The complete podium and placement standings concluded with France first, Georgia second, and bronze medals awarded to both Germany and Italy. Ukraine and Hungary finished equal in fifth place, while Moldovan and Austrian entries rounded out the top eight in seventh place.
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