Schinwald’s Breakthrough Lifts Austria as France’s Young Talents Shine in Graz

Marlene Schinwald gave the host crowd a finish to remember at the European Junior Cup in Graz. The Austrian judoka took the -52 kg title on the final day with a performance that stood out from the first round to the last.

For Austria, it was a special moment. Schinwald delivered a clean, controlled run to gold and secured the host nation’s second title of the event. According to Judo Austria coach Michael Winkler, she won all five of her contests without needing golden score and produced 13 scores across the day.

That made this victory feel even bigger. Schinwald said she felt good from the morning onward, and that confidence kept growing with every round. Relaxed but sure of herself, she turned that feeling into the first gold medal of her career after reaching two previous finals.

There was also a personal side to the celebration. With her mother Eva and her boyfriend Jakob present, the Salzburg athlete described it as the best possible way to mark her first victory at this level.

Graz ended with a home triumph Austria will not forget soon.

France also left Graz with strong momentum, thanks to two 18-year-olds who hit gold on day two. In the +100 kg category, Kevin Nzuzi Diasivi defeated Steyn Oldenhof of the Netherlands in the final. That result gave the French judoka his third junior European Cup title, a sign of both consistency and growing authority.

The bigger surprise came in -81 kg, where Noah Boue Kossa produced one of the standout results of the competition. Before Graz, his success had come only at cadet level, and he arrived ranked 239th in the IJF junior rankings. None of that mattered once the contests began.

In the final, Boue Kossa beat second seed Silas Costa of Brazil in less than a minute to take gold. His overall path through the category was just as striking: seven wins completed in a combined contest time of 16 minutes and 20 seconds. It was a breakthrough performance that immediately changed the feel of his junior campaign.

Noah Boue Kossa turned an outsider’s run into one of Graz’s biggest shocks.

Even with those French highlights, Brazil still finished on top of the team standings. The Brazilian team collected four gold, two silver and two bronze medals, while France ended with nine medals in total: three gold, two silver and four bronze.

The event may be over, but the tatami in Graz will stay busy. Between 1 and 2 June, around 350 judoka from 15 countries are expected for the accompanying training camp. Austria’s national team athletes, including new champion Schinwald, even helped prepare the venue by laying out 870 square metres of tatami in less than two hours.

That final image says a lot about the atmosphere in Graz. Medals were won, surprises landed, and the host nation had one more reason to celebrate before the next phase begins.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union