Israeli Judo Fighter Wins European U21 Bronze Medal

Israeli judoka Hali Zekrouti secured a bronze medal at the European U21 Judo Championships held in Podgorica, Montenegro. Competing in the under 57 kg category, Zekrouti achieved the impressive feat on the first day of the tournament. Her path to the medal included victories over opponents from Belgium, Romania, and Poland. Zekrouti's winning streak was halted in the semifinals by Slovenia's Neja Stangar, whom she lost to by ippon. Following the semifinal loss, Zekrouti entered the bronze medal match, facing her Israeli teammate, Gil Perry, in a "blue-and-white derby."

Zekrouti emerged victorious in the bronze medal bout, securing the win with two waza-ari scores that were upgraded to ippon. Gil Perry, also competing in the same weight class, finished in fifth place. Perry's day began with a loss in the first round to Alice Bellandi of Italy, sending her to the repechage bracket. There, she won against opponents from the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Spain before her loss to Zekrouti in the bronze medal contest.

Head coach Shani Hershko praised Zekrouti's performance, calling it a "prestigious bronze medal" after an "excellent competition and a very high-quality day of fighting." He noted this is her second consecutive medal at the European Junior Championships, highlighting her consistency and high-level ability. Hershko also mentioned that Israeli judokas Ben Tamari and Liivi Beker finished in fifth and seventh place, respectively. Tamari competed in the under 60 kg category and also reached the bronze medal match before being defeated. Hershko emphasized the continued success of Israel's young judo generation and the effective team effort in building a strong future for Israeli judo.