French and Dutch shine on day 2 in Prague, Khammo back with gold

The second day of the European Open in Prague saw impressive performances, with France and the Netherlands dominating the podium across multiple categories. France and the Netherlands, in particular, emerged as the strongest teams on the second day of competition, claiming multiple medals across the divisions. France won the medal tally with dominance and six titles, followed by Germany with Saturdays’ two medals. Eight countries won a gold medal.

In the women’s U48kg division, France celebrated a one-two finish as Coralie Gilly captured gold after defeating her compatriot Marine Gilly in the final. The Gilly sisters showcased their skill throughout the competition. The bronze medals went to Spain’s Jana Cid Balcells and Germany’s Sarah Ischt, completing a strong showing in the lightweight category.

France continued its success in the U52kg category, where Lea Metrot took gold after a hard-fought final against Great Britain’s Tatum Keen, who settled for silver. France’s Lea Beres and Spain’s Mireia Lapuerta Comas shared the bronze, securing another excellent performance for the French team.

In the U57kg division, it was another gold for France as Ophelie Vellozzi triumphed against Lou Lemire who added a silver to France’s tally after an all-French final. Austria’s Laura Kallinger and Shannon Van De Meeberg from the Netherlands earned the bronze medals, bringing an exciting close to the women’s competition.

In the men’s U81kg division, Canada’s Keagan Young took the top spot after a closely contested final against the Netherlands’ Mo Van Dun, who claimed silver. Bronze medals were awarded to Italy’s Giacomo Gamba and Romania’s Adrian Sulca, both of whom delivered impressive performances throughout the tournament.

The Netherlands made a strong impact in the men’s U90kg category, where Jesper Smink emerged as the gold medalist after defeating his compatriot Ian Van Herk in the final, securing a Dutch one-two finish. Tigo Renes from the Netherlands and Max Laborde from France captured the bronze medals, underscoring the Netherlands' strength in this division.

France added another gold in the men’s U100kg category, where Cedric Olivar emerged victorious. Lars Vissers from the Netherlands secured silver after a close match in the final. Bronze medals went to Great Britain’s Rhys Thompson and David Dudy from the host nation, the Czech Republic.

Yakiv Khammo (UKR), a celebrated figure on the IJF World Judo Tour for the past decade, once again showcased his exceptional skills by claiming gold at the European Open in Prague. As a three-time world medallist, Khammo faced a tough challenge against top-seeded Dzhamal Gamzatkhanov (AZE). The match started with an early score from Khammo, who capitalised on Gamzatkhanov's overextended o-soto-gari attempt. In a moment of quick thinking, Khammo turned and executed a harai-maki-komi, putting him ahead on the scoreboard.

Despite being in the lead, defending against Gamzatkhanov’s relentless attacks proved difficult. The Azerbaijani judoka nullified several of Khammo’s sumi-gaeshi attempts and nearly managed to hold him down. However, Khammo's resilience paid off, and he held on to secure the victory, marking a joyous celebration for Team Ukraine. His win further solidifies his reputation as one of the top heavyweights in judo.

Poland’s Patryk Broniec and Germany’s Marvin Belz shared the bronze, ending the competition with a thrilling display of heavyweight judo.