Last Saturday, 6th June, Tower Hamlets Judo Club member Olivia Piechota travelled to Bielsko Biala, Poland to take part in the European Judo Cup. Olivia, who is 16years old, competed in the “Cadets” category (for those aged under 17 years).
Over 500 competitors from 29 countries put their skills to good use in an attempt to gain valuable points for the World and European Judo Federation rankings at this, the last of the European caps of the season.
Olivia had competed in four European Cup events this season – winning medals every time, but the competition in Poland was the most important as she tried to secure her place in the European Championships and Youth Olympics, both due to be held in July.
Olivia was very well prepared and determined to win. After finishing all of her four contests by scoring Ippon (ultimate point) and displaying excellent throwing techniques and great grappling skills on the ground, Olivia claimed European Cup gold. She defeated Slovakian player Dominika Kincelova in the semi-final and Hungarian Andrea Karman in the final.
It was an outstanding performance and a great result. Now Olivia is concentrating on the final preparation for the major events of the season – the European Championships and Youth Olympics.
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