Ilariia Tsurkan won the silver medal at the Junior European Cup in Lignano, adding another strong result to her growing list of international achievements.

The 17-year-old defeated opponents from France, Germany, Italy and Poland on her way to the final. After four wins, she advanced to the gold medal contest, where she faced Germany’s Sveyrike Konrad. The German judoka came out on top in the final, while Ilariia finished in an excellent second place.

This was Ilariia’s ninth medal at Junior European Cups and her second of the season. She had already taken silver at the Junior European Cup in Sarajevo in February, and with her latest result in Lignano, she once again confirmed both her consistency and her high level in European junior competition. This is also her final year competing in the cadet category, where she has already won two European Cups.

In the same weight category, Neža Mesiček also competed and finished seventh with three wins and two losses.

Zarja Mastnak and Timotej Kos also impressed with three wins each, as both placed seventh in the -57 kg and -100 kg categories respectively. Niko Grajfoner recorded four wins in the third-largest category of the tournament, the -81 kg division, and also finished in seventh place.