Europe hits the ground running in Dushanbe with golds and breakthrough medals

Day one of the Dushanbe Grand Slam 2026 came out fast, technical and intense, and European judoka made sure they were at the centre of it. Across the five lightest categories, 20 medals were available and Europe took ten of them. That balance alone says a lot about the continent’s impact on the opening day.

In women’s -48 kg, Amber Gersjes of the Netherlands delivered Europe’s only medal in the category with silver. After an early exit at the Senior European Championships just two weeks ago, this podium finish felt like an important response. She fell to Anudari Jamsran of Mongolia in the final, but the turnaround was clear.

Europe was even more visible in men’s -60 kg, where it featured in every medal contest. The two bronze matches did not go Europe’s way, but the final guaranteed continental success as Artem Lesiuk of Ukraine faced Ayub Bliev of Russia. From the start, Bliev looked sharp and fully in control.

He opened with effective ashi-waza for yuko, then widened the gap with a precisely timed o-uchi-gari for Waza-ari. Lesiuk struggled to change the flow, and Bliev kept the pressure high until the final attack ended the contest. It was a composed, authoritative performance on a big stage.

Europe turned depth into medals on the very first day.

The women’s -52 kg category brought another strong European chapter. Kenya Perna of Italy claimed the first IJF World Tour medal of her career with bronze. In the final, Odette Giuffrida of Italy faced Aleksandra Kaleta of Poland in a match that was tighter than many expected.

Kaleta managed to disturb Giuffrida’s gripping and rhythm for long stretches, but the Italian’s experience slowly took over. Giuffrida applied calm pressure, built control and forced penalties. That approach earned her a sixth Grand Slam gold and another major result in an already decorated career.

Europe added more success in women’s -57 kg through Olga Mukhina of Russia, who won her first IJF-level medal and made it gold. Against teenage finalist Ariunzaya Terbish of Mongolia, she scored the key yuko with a well-timed o-uchi-gari. Natalia Elkina of Russia took bronze in the same category.

There was more to celebrate in men’s -66 kg, where Russia collected two bronze medals through Iago Abuladze and German Kobets. For Kobets, it was a first IJF World Tour podium. Taken together, the opening session in Dushanbe gave Europe not just numbers, but momentum.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union