A successful weekend for Slovenian judoka at the Senior European Cup in Sarajevo ended with the Slovenian national anthem. It was played in honour of Igor Tsurkan, who claimed victory in the under 81 kg category.

The young Slovenian judoka began the competition with a win by hold-down against a Dutch opponent, before throwing his Austrian opponent with a low technique in the second round to score his second ippon. The 21-year-old Slovenian representative then forced experienced quarter-final opponent and top seed Muhammed Koc of Turkey to submit with an armlock, before successfully repeating the same technique in the semi-final against a Swedish opponent.

In the final of the second-largest category of the competition, Igor faced another Turkish representative, Erman Gurgen, and halfway through the contest produced an inventive turning technique to score his fifth ippon of the day and claim his first victory at a senior European Cup.

In addition to Igor, Tara Janjić also won a medal in Sarajevo, taking third place in the over 78 kg category on the opening competition day. Maša Slavinec also fought for bronze on the second competition day, but after two wins and two defeats in the under 57 kg category, she had to settle for fifth place.

Photo: EJU - Dino Stambolić