Though plenty medals were earned by the European athletes on day one of the Upper Austria Grand Prix 2025, it wasn’t until the final weight category of -57kg, did one athlete manage to take a gold medal. That athlete was Seija BALLHAUS of Germany.
The top seed of the category and world ranked #10, Ballhaus, hasn’t missed a podium place in her past three events, granting herself a gold medal in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, a bronze more recently in Baku, and today adding another big win to her list. The Upper Austria Grand Prix is a special place for Seija, who took her first IJF World Judo Tour medal here in 2023. There were some very convincing wins on her road to gold today, defeating the current Junior World Champion, HONDA Rio (JPN) with a lovely osoto gari, and then in the final, defeated Slovenia’s rising star, Nika TOMC, capitalised on an opportunity in ne waza to take the win with shime waza in the opening minute. Though she had to settle for silver today, this was a first on the IJF World Judo Tour for Tomc and likely one of many to come.
It was also a day of firsts for Shannon VAN DE MEEBURG (NED) in the -57kg and Luis BARROSO LOPEZ (ESP) at -60kg, taking their first medals on the IJF World Judo Tour, bronze medals for both. Van De Meeburg succeeded with shime waza and Barroso, an ippon-scoring osoto gari against the current Cadet World Champion, Jonathan YANG (USA), who is just venturing on the senior circuit.
Guy GUTMAN (ISR) was the only medallist representing the European Judo Union in the -66kg category, after defeating Temur NOZADZE (GEO). It was a very fast paced head to head, with Gutman coming close to a score early on with o uchi gari, and though he narrowly missed it, he found his footing to counter a drop seoi nage from Nozadze for waza ari.
The -52kg podium was busy, and though Olympic Champion and current Olympic silver medallist, Distria KRASNIQI (KOS) was understandably the favourite, she was defeated in her final contest by the 2024 Cadet and Junior World Champion, IO Iroha (JPN) with a stunning uchi mata in less than a minute. In the bronze medal positions were Ariane TORO SOLER (ESP), who executed a waza Ari-scoring ko uchi gake against Naomi VAN KREVEL (NED) and Mascha BALLHAUS (GER). The Ballhaus name appears again today, and Mascha is #6 in the world ranking list at -52kg. Ballhaus took on PUPP Reka (HUN) for this bronze and it was a real battle, both ceding two shidos as the clock ticked away. Finally, with only 8 seconds left on the clock, it was a huge obi tori gaeshi that sealed her medal win.
The post AUF GEHTS, SEIJA! appeared first on European Judo Union.
