Neža Hladnik flips the -70 kg story and carries Slovenia into the final

Neža Hladnik became the big talking point in the -70 kg division after a dramatic run in Cadet European Cup judo. The Slovenian turned a draw led by higher-ranked names into her own breakthrough moment, pushing Slovenia one step closer to another standout result.

Before the semi-finals, much of the attention was on Selina Woegerer of Austria. As top seed and a six-time Cadet European Cup medallist, she had looked in control through comfortable wins over Joana Moreira of Portugal and Csenge Török of Hungary. Everything suggested the Austrian was moving exactly as expected toward the final.

But this category had other ideas.

By the time the semi-finals arrived, the seeded order had already taken heavy damage. Every other athlete in the final four had come through unseeded, each one forcing her way forward by beating higher-ranked opponents. That changed the feeling around the weight class completely. Instead of a predictable finish, the -70 kg contest became a test of nerve, timing and belief.

Hladnik entered that semi-final with far less attention than Woegerer. The Slovenian was ranked 85th in the world and had two Cadet European Cup medals to her name. On paper, it was not the kind of matchup expected to produce a major shock.

At first, the contest followed the expected line. Woegerer moved ahead with a yuko and seemed to be taking control. Hladnik, though, stayed patient and waited for the opening that mattered most.

Then came the decisive moment. Hladnik caught the chance and applied a sharp juji-gatame, forcing the submission and completely changing the course of the category. In seconds, Austria's hopes of gold were gone, and Slovenia had a finalist.

One juji-gatame changed everything in the -70 kg draw.

It was the kind of turnaround that reminds everyone why judo can never be settled by rankings alone. Hladnik did not just survive against the favourite; she produced her best work under the biggest pressure. For Slovenia, that performance kept the momentum alive and added another memorable chapter to their day.

The second semi-final also delivered a high-level contest. Diana Samoiliuk of Ukraine, a five-time Cadet European Cup medallist, faced Done Melike Özbudak of Türkiye, a two-time medallist on the circuit. With the pair ranked 25th and 30th in the world, the matchup looked close from the start and played out that way.

Samoiliuk came through that battle to secure her place in the final. That set up a gold medal match against Hladnik, whose semi-final win had already become one of the defining moments of the category.

In a weight class that ignored expectations from the very beginning, Hladnik's run stood out most. The rankings said one thing, but her judo said something stronger.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union