France Returns to the Podium at the 2026 European Mixed Team Judo Championships

France wins bronze at 2026 European Mixed Team Judo Championships, Digi Mart USA News (Belgrade, Serbia): The French team returned to the podium on Saturday in Belgrade, finishing third after a seventh-place result at last year’s event in Podgorica, Montenegro.

The French squad included several starters from the mixed team event at the world championships, including Martha Fawaz, Clémence Émé, Léa Fontaine, Aleksa Mitrovic, Tieman Diaby and Yoann Rigaud. The competition also featured defending European champion Georgia, Italy, Russia and Germany, the bronze medalist last year.

France opened with a 4-2 win over Romania. In the quarterfinal against Serbia, the teams were level at 3-3 after six bouts, with Aleksa Mitrovic, Léa Fontaine and Maxime Gobert scoring the French points.

Martha Fawaz was injured during her bout against Marica Perisic, a world bronze medalist in early October, and the source notes a possible adductor injury.

Fontaine secured the decisive point in the +70kg category with an ashi-guruma against Milica Zabic, sending France into the semifinal against Georgia. France began that match with a one-point advantage because Georgia had no fighter in the +70kg category.

Georgia took control early, with Luka Maisuradze scoring with a tai-otoshi against Mitrovic and Iraki Demetrashvili defeating Rigaud in the +90kg bout. Eteri Liparteliani won against Astride Gneto in the -57kg category.

In the -73kg bout, Lasha Shavdatuashvili opened with a yuko against Gobert, but was penalized three times in a few seconds, including a final shido received at the buzzer. Gobert then won the bout for France.

The -73kg tiebreak went to Georgia, however, when Shavdatuashvili scored with an o-uchi-gari after four minutes, eliminating France from the final. France then faced Germany for bronze and won 3-2.

Double hansokumake penalties were given to Astride Gneto and Charlotte Von Leupoldt in the -57kg category, and the French team still secured the win through Célia Cancan in +70kg, followed by Maxime Gobert and Aleksa Mitrovic in the final bouts.

The source notes that this bronze medal follows France’s seventh-place finishes at the 2025 and 2026 world championships.

In the final, Russia defeated Georgia 4-1, and Turkey also won bronze.