At the European Judo Championships held in Podgorica, Szofi Özbaş claimed the title in the 70 kg category by defeating her Greek opponent Eliszavet Telcidu with an ippon in the final.
This victory marked Özbaş’s final competition in the 70 kg weight class. Previously competing at 63 kg, she had not yet been seeded in her new category but had already made a strong impression by winning two Grand Slam tournaments earlier this year. Along the way, she defeated top-ranked judokas such as Lara Cvjetko from Croatia (world No. 2), Sanne van Dijke from the Netherlands (world No. 6), and Ai Tsunoda Roustant from Spain (world No. 7). She faced and overcame these same opponents again in Podgorica.
In the first round, Özbaş secured a comfortable victory over Denmark’s Laerke Olsen, throwing her opponent just two seconds before the end of regular time to advance. In the second round, she faced a tougher challenge against Dutch judoka Sanne van Dijke but managed to execute a decisive move to win by ippon.
After the match, Özbaş commented: “Before the match, I told our national team captain Bor Barna that I would just do judo. He simply told me to stick to judo. When my thoughts get tangled, I must rely on my body and training. Confidence, precision, and speed really helped me today.”
In the quarterfinals, Özbaş faced Spain’s Ai Tsunoda. Despite a dangerous move from her opponent, a video review awarded the correct score to Özbaş, securing her victory. She continued her dominant performance by defeating Portugal’s Tais Pina with an ippon in the semifinals, entering the final full of confidence.
In the final, Özbaş initially struggled against Greek opponent Eliszavet Telcidu’s strength but maintained solid defense. With one and a half minutes remaining, she executed a powerful throw, scoring an ippon and sealing her European championship title.
After the final, Özbaş shared her emotions: “Honestly, I was more nervous than usual. I like giving myself the freedom not to feel pressured for a certain result. Of course, winning two Grand Slam gold medals earlier this year did create some expectations, but had I thought about that before competing, I might not have succeeded. Facing a new opponent I had never fought before was exciting. I’m very happy with the outcome, though that wasn’t the only thing that mattered.”
Szofi Özbaş’s Results at the European Championships:
Round 1: Szofi Özbaş – Laerke Olsen (Denmark) 10-0
Round 2: Szofi Özbaş – Sanne van Dijke (Netherlands) 5-0
Round 3: Szofi Özbaş – Petersen (United Kingdom) 5-0
Quarterfinal: Szofi Özbaş – Ai Tsunoda (Spain) 5-0
Semifinal: Szofi Özbaş – Tais Pina (Portugal) 10-0
Final: Szofi Özbaş – Eliszavet Telcidu (Greece) 10-0
European Championships 70 kg Podium:
- Szofi Özbaş (Hungary)
- Eliszavet Telcidu (Greece)
- Lara Cvjetko (Croatia) and Alekszandra Andics (Serbia)
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