After the Slovenian fighter took out Edwige Gwend (Italy) with a waza-ari in the semi-finals, she defeated Austria’s Kathrin Unterwurzbacher with an ippon, winning her first title of the European champion. “My coach and I always make a tactical plan, so of course I knew what I needed to do. I’m glad I succeeded, although this match isn’t the main goal for this season. Still, I wanted to show a good fight,” Trstenjak said about her success, which the organisers also accompanied with a few tones of Golica, a well-known Slovenian Oberkrainer instrumental song.

Slovenian fight for bronze goes to Drakšič
Rok Drakšič had to face his compatriot, Martin Hojak, in a duel for bronze in the –73kg category, and managed to re-conquer third place from last year, when the championship took place in Baku.

“I can believe that for many of those watching back home the match [for bronze] was a top event, but it was very difficult for me, since one’s wish is always to be the best in your home village, town, and country. We practise together, we respect each other, but there’s no mercy on the tatami. I think experience was what tipped the balance at the end,” said the new holder of bronze.

“I respect Rok, but not on the mat”
Nonetheless, his rival Hojak still proved to be the surprise of the day. “I went into the fight for bronze as I would in any other. Experience was the decisive factor. I respect Rok very much, but that of course doesn’t apply when we’re on the mat. There, you fight with all your might. Rok had a better ‘gard’ that me today, I lost my focus for a bit.”

The 18-year-old judoist, who is a member of Ljubljana’s Bežigrad district team, beat a competitor from the host country of Russia, the European champion Sagi Muki from Israel and a rival from Germany in his morning march towards the semi-finals, where he was stopped by the Olympic champion Lasha Shavdatuashvili.

Drakšič, the defender of the 2015 bronze medal in the –74kg category, then fought in the repechage, defeating Sam Van ’t Westende from the Netherlands for his 2nd bronze.

M. L., MMC; translated by K. Z.