Alice Bellandi Wins European Judo Gold: ‘My Childhood Dreams Come True’

TBILISI, Georgia — Italian judoka Alice Bellandi captured her first European Championships gold medal on Sunday, defeating Kosovo’s Loriana Kuka in the women’s 78kg final to fulfill a lifelong ambition nurtured since she first stepped onto a tatami as a child.

The victory, secured with a decisive ippon via ouchi-gari just 1 minute and 42 seconds into the gold medal match, marked Bellandi’s breakthrough on the continental stage after years of near-misses and steady progression through the ranks of international judo.

“Si avverano i miei sogni di bambina,” Bellandi said in her post-match interview, tears streaming down her face as the Italian national anthem played. “Every sacrifice, every early morning, every time I doubted myself — it was all for this moment.”

The 25-year-old from Livorno entered the tournament ranked No. 7 in the world and had previously earned bronze at the 2022 European Championships in Sofia. Her path to gold in Tbilisi included victories over reigning world champion Madeleine Malonga of France in the quarterfinals and a hard-fought semifinal win against Germany’s Anna-Maria Wagner, a two-time Olympic medalist.

Bellandi’s quarterfinal clash with Malonga proved pivotal. Trailing by a waza-ari with under 30 seconds remaining, she countered a failed seoi-nage attempt with a lightning-fast tomoe-nage to score ippon and advance. The upset sent shockwaves through the tatami, as Malonga had not lost a European Championships match since 2019.

“I studied her patterns for months,” Bellandi later explained. “She likes to grip high and attack with forward pressure. I waited for her to overcommit — and when she did, I moved.”

The semifinal against Wagner was a tactical battle of grips and positioning. Wagner, the 2021 world silver medalist, controlled much of the early going with her powerful kumikata. But Bellandi adjusted mid-match, switching to a defensive left-hand grip to neutralize Wagner’s right-side dominance, eventually scoring with a counter uchi-mata as Wagner overreached.

In the final, Bellandi faced Kuka, the 2022 European champion returning from injury. The Kosovar judoka started aggressively, seeking to establish her signature left-hand lapel grip. But Bellandi maintained distance, using her superior footwork to frustrate Kuka’s advances. At 1:42, as Kuka lunged for an ippon-seoi-nage, Bellandi stepped sideways, trapped the arm, and drove through with a flawless ouchi-gari for ippon.

The scoreboard flashed: Bellandi 100, Kuka 0. The Italian dropped to her knees, then rose to roar toward the stands where her family and coaches waved the tricolor.

“This isn’t just my medal,” Bellandi said, clutching the gold. “It’s for my first coach in Livorno who believed in me when I was too small to see over the tatami. It’s for every girl who’s ever been told judo isn’t for them.”

Bellandi’s victory continues Italy’s resurgence in women’s judo. The nation now has three European gold medals in the 78kg division since 2020, following Maria Centracchio’s bronze at Tokyo 2020 and Bellandi’s own breakthrough. Italy finished the Tbilisi championships with two golds (Bellandi and Manuel Lombardo in men’s 66kg), one silver, and two bronzes — its best European Championships haul since 2016.

According to the International Judo Federation (IJF) world ranking list updated May 1, Bellandi’s win propels her to No. 4 in the Olympic qualification standings for Paris 2024, securing a direct quota spot for Italy. She now trails only France’s Madeleine Malonga, Kosovo’s Loriana Kuka, and Germany’s Anna-Maria Wagner in the race for Olympic seeding.

“The Olympics are the next dream,” Bellandi admitted. “But this one? This one was for the kid who used to sleep with her judo belt wrapped around her pillow.”

The European Judo Championships, held May 3–5 at the Olympic Palace in Tbilisi, attracted over 400 athletes from 45 nations. Bellandi’s gold-medal match drew a peak live audience of 1.2 million viewers across European broadcasters, according to preliminary ratings from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Looking ahead, Bellandi will compete in the World Judo Championships in Abu Dhabi from May 19–24, followed by the Grand Slam in Baku on June 7–9. Her next major checkpoint is the Olympic qualification deadline on June 24, when the final IJF ranking list for Paris 2024 will be published.

For now, she savors the moment — a moment years in the making, forged in the gyms of Tuscany and validated on the tatami of Tbilisi.

What does this victory mean for Bellandi’s Olympic hopes? It transforms her from a contender to a genuine medal threat in Paris. With her ranking now safely inside the top five, she avoids the risk of continental qualification playoffs and gains favorable seeding — potentially avoiding a quarterfinal clash with Malonga or Wagner until the medal rounds.

How did she adjust her tactics mid-tournament? Against Malonga, she shifted from aggression to patience, waiting for counter opportunities. Against Wagner, she sacrificed offensive initiations to control the grip fight. Against Kuka, she blended both — using movement to disrupt rhythm, then striking with precision.

Where can fans follow her journey? The Italian Judo Federation (FIJLWK) provides real-time updates via its official website and social channels. The IJF maintains live results and ranking updates at ijf.org, the primary source for Olympic qualification standings.

Alice Bellandi’s gold medal is more than a personal triumph. It’s a signal that Italy’s women’s judo program has arrived — and that the dreams of a little girl in Livorno, once whispered to herself before sleep, now echo across continents.

Stay tuned to Archysport for continuing coverage of Bellandi’s path to Paris 2024.

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