He did it ! Once more, Rafael Aghayev will meet Luigi Busa in a final (-75 kg). The World champions Eleni Chatziliadou (+68 kg), Jonathan Horne (+84 kg), Angelo Crescenzo (-60 kg), Steven Da Costa (-67 kg) and Sanchez Jaime (Kata) are qualified for the finals scheduled on Saturday.

By Florian Fournier

Photo : Kphotos

Male

-60kg: Crescenzo for a 2nd crown

The new boss of the category is Italian and his name is Angelo Crescenzo. The world champion and silver European medalist is again in the final, after beating Turkey’s Eray Samdan (2-1) in the semifinals. Last obstacle in the conquest of his title, Russia’s Plakutin defeated Macedonia’s Emil Pavlov in the semifinals (2-0).

Final: Crescenzo (Ita) vs Plakhutin (Rus)

Bronze medals: Samdan (Tur) vs Tkebuchava (Geo) et Gogolosi (Rou) vs Pavlov (Mkc)

-67kg: Steven Da Costa unstoppable

The French world champion is in the final of the 2019 European championships, his fourth one in a row since the Worlds. After a 5-1 victory in the semifinal against England’s Jordan Thomas, Steven Da Costa offered himself the opportunity to win a second European title on Saturday after 2016. In front of him, the young Montenegrin Hodzic will give him the change.

Final: Da Costa (Fra) vs Hodzic (Mne)

Bronze medals: Thomas (Eng) vs Pokorny (Aut) et Tadissi (Hun) vs Joksic (Srb)

-75kg: Aghayev and Busa, of course

The story continues between these two exceptional champions. Once again, Rafael Aghayev and Luigi Busa will meet in the final. Winner of Ukrain’s Horuna (5-1) in the semifinals, Rafael Aghayev will have the opportunity to win an 11th title of European champion ! For his part, Luigi Busa defeated Turkey’s Eltemur (1-0) to reach the last step.

Final: Aghayev (Aze) vs Busa (Ita)

Bronze medals: Eltemur (Tur) vs  Kellaway (Eng) et Horuna (Ukr) vs Suljic (Bih)

-84kg: Aktas and Isakau for gold

European champion in 2017 and current World n°1, Turkey’s Ugur Aktas will be the favorite of the final on Saturday to conquer a new European title. Facing him, Belarus Anton Isakau, who will try to conquer a first crown.

Final: Aktas (Tur) vs Isakau (Blr)

Bronze medals: Abdesselem (Fra) vs Kvesic (Cro) et Lopez (Nor) vs Malovic (Mne)

+ 84kg: Horne in the final again

The 2010 world champion vs the 2018 world champion. Serbia’s Bitevic vs Germany’s Horne will fight for gold on Saturday. Joanthan, who beat Marino, Talibov and Gurbanli, Joanthan Horne will try to get his 6th title.

Final: Horne (All) vs Bitevic (Srb)

Bronze medals: Kvesic (Cro) vs Arkania (Geo) et Talibov (Ukr) vs Gurbanli (Aze)

Kata

Like last year, Spain’s Damian Quintero and Turkey’s Ali Sofuoglu will be fighting in final of the European championships. Quintero and Sofuoglu have dominated their pool with an 26,76 and an 25,46.

Final : Quintero (Spa) vs Sofuoglu (Tur)

Bronze medals : Montarello (Fra) vs Busato (Ita) and Heydarov (Aze) vs Smorguner (Ger)

Female

-50kg: Austria’s Plank for a 2nd title

Bettina Plank will target a 2^nd European title on Saturday against France’s Sophia Bouderbane. She beat Milivojcevic and, in ½ final, Aliyeva. On her side, Bouderbane beat in the ¼ finals Hubrich (0-0) and Turkey’s Ozcelik in the ½ final (2-0).

Final: Bouderbane (Fra) vs Plank (Aut)

Bronze medals: Milivojcevic (Srb) vs Aliyeva (Aze) et Hubrich (All) vs Ozcelik (Tur)

-55kg: Yakan Tuba targets a 3rd crown

2-times European champion (2013 and 2017), Turkey’s Yakan Tuba will face a neophyte in the final, Luxemburg’s Warling to win a third continental title. Winner in the semi-finals (8-1) of the reigning European champion, Ukraine’s Anzhelika Terliuga, Yakan Tuba appears as the favorite for the gold medal. Despite a win over world champion Banaszcyk of Poland (3-0), the Luxembourger seems a tone below her opponent.

Final: Yakan Tuba (Tur) vs Warling (Lux)

Bronze medals: Connell (Sco) vs Maksimovic (Mne) et Goranova (Bul) vs Terliuga (Ukr)

-61kg: A new champion of Europe

Whether it's Turkey's Coban or Slovenia's Ristic, we will have a new European Champion Saturday in the -61kg category. If we waited for the great winner 2018, the French Gwendoline Philippe, the latter lost in the quarterfinals (2-0) against Coban.

Final: Coban (Tur) vs Ristic (Slv)

Bronze medals: Serogina (Ukr) vs Philippe (Fra) et Alstadsaether (Nor) vs Suchankova (Svk)

-68kg: Alizee Agier finds the summit again

The French 2014 World champion, never titled at the continental level, will try to clinch her first title on Saturday. In a complicated pool, where she beat Austria's Buchinger in the quarter-finals (2-2), then Italy's Semeraro (4-0) in the semifinal, Alizee Agier will face the reigning European champion, Switzerland’s Elena Quirici in the final.

Final: Alizee Agier (Fra) vs Quirici (Sui)

Bronze medals: Semeraro (Ita) vs Buchinger (Aut) et Wold (Ned) vs Pedersen (Dan)

+ 68kg: Chatziliadou, the Europeans after the Worlds ?

Eleni Chatziliadou of Greece looks unstoppable since her world title. She is again in the final after beating Hocaoglu in ¼ finals (1-0) and Stepashko in the ½ final (2-1). She will need to dominate Spain’s Laura Palacio, who plays at home.

Final: Chatziliadou (Gre) vs Palacio (Spa)

Bronze medals: Keinanen (Fin) vs Orana (Kos) et Stephasko (Ukr) vs Hocaoglu (Tur)

Kata :

No surprise occured in this European championships in female kata. The world and European champion, Sandra Sanchez Jaime, is in the final. With a note of 27,64, she ranked 1st of her last round to access to the final. On Saturday, she will face Italia’s Viviana Bottaro.

Final : Sanchez (Spa) vs Bottaro (Ita)

Bronze medals : Feracci (Fra) vs Jovanoska (Mkd) and Miskova (Cze) vs Eltemur (Tur)