19-year-old Ukrainian Danylo Kravchenko became the European junior champion in the up to 73 kg weight category. In the tournament final in Podgorica, he defeated Russian Armin Sobliev.
The European Judo Championships Juniors Podgorica 2026 is taking place in Podgorica, Montenegro. Kravchenko's path to the final went through opponents from Turkey, France, and Switzerland, and only in the last match did he face a Russian.
Gold! Danylo Kravchenko is the European junior champion in the 73 kg weight class.
Why this is more than just another medal
For most spectators, it's a line in the tournament standings. For Ukrainian sports — another episode in a situation that has been ongoing for several years: in medal matches, Ukrainian athletes have defeated representatives of aggressor countries, while overall the tournament involves over 400 judokas from 44 European countries.
That is, Russians are still permitted to compete in European and world tournaments — mostly as "neutral" athletes, without a flag or anthem, but physically on the mat, in semifinals and finals alongside Ukrainians. For athletes coming from a country that continues to launch missile strikes against Ukrainian cities, this means one thing: defeating a Russian on the mat is the only available way for them to publicly "overcome" the aggressor according to rules established by international federations.
Not his first such victory
This is already the second such case for Kravchenko in a short time: previously he won gold at the European U-21 Championship, where in the semifinal and final he defeated Russians. Different sources name his opponent in the final differently — some list Sobliev, others mention victory over "another Russian" — but the fact of two consecutive victories over representatives of the aggressor country in key matches is telling.
For comparison: how systematic this trend is, is shown by another result from the same day of competition — the European U-21 championship in Podgorica will run until September 6, and on the final day there will be a mixed team tournament, where the Ukrainian team will face Russians again, this time not in individual but in team matches.
What this means for federations
- The International Judo Federation (IJF) continues to permit Russians to compete in tournaments under neutral status — despite the full-scale war that has been ongoing for the fourth year.
- Ukrainian sports officials have repeatedly insisted on the complete exclusion of the aggressor country from international competitions, but decisions are made by international federations, not by national federations of individual countries.
- For Ukrainian judokas, this means additional psychological pressure: victory over a Russian carries symbolic weight that no other match in the tournament has.
The question for the coming months is simple: will the IJF change its position regarding Russian participation in 2026 competitions if pressure from Ukrainian and allied federations intensifies — or will the status quo persist as long as the war itself continues?
