Lignano lights up: Italy owns day one, Konrad steals the -63 kg spotlight

Day one at the Pala Bella Italia in Lignano Sabbiadoro wrapped up with exactly the kind of buzz athletes dream of: a steady stream of Ippon, nonstop noise, and a crowd that stayed close long after the action. The Japanese women’s team competed in Lignano for the first time, and it turned the venue into an autograph hotspot for young fans and volunteers.

The first day had that rare mix of pressure and pure joy.

Europe, though, made sure the opening act belonged to them. Host nation Italy finished on top of the medal table, powered by three gold medals. Raffaele Sodano took -60 kg, marking his second medal in Lignano and his first gold there. In -73 kg, Lucio Tavoletta delivered the sharpest finish of the day, ending the final within seconds with a clean Ippon from Sode tsurikomi goshi. His trajectory in Lignano has been climbing fast—fifth place two years ago, bronze last year, and now the top step.

Aurora Mengia added another home gold in -78 kg, beating Japan’s Rio Tsubakihara. She scored an early yuko and then managed the contest with composure, keeping control when it mattered most.

Germany brought a headline of its own in -63 kg. Sveyarike Konrad took gold after an eye-catching run that included a spectacular Tani-otoshi Ippon against Asuka Sano in the preliminaries. In the final, she pushed through a hard golden score to defeat world number one Ilariia Tsurkan.

Japan still left a strong mark: Aoi Komine topped -70 kg, showing variety in tachi-waza with scores from Osoto-otoshi, Seoi-otoshi, and Ouchi-gari. Miu Ushikata ruled +78 kg with her ne-waza to claim gold. Poland’s Jakub Kurowski completed the list of champions with -66 kg gold.

The opening ceremony also featured honours, including the “Luigi Alberto Trevisan” award for referees Tiziano Tieppo (ITA), Cathy Mouette (FRA), and Veli-Matti Karikanta (FIN).

Source: EJU_News