At the European Judo Cup for young athletes in North Macedonia, Bulgarian athletes demonstrated impressive skill, winning a total of three medals amid strong international competition.
Sofiya Rangelova distinguished herself in the up to 48 kilograms category, where she achieved remarkable victories over opponents from Israel and Canada. Although she reached the final round, she was defeated by Slovak athlete Patricia Tomankova, winning a silver medal.
In the 57 kilograms category, Snezhana Gramatikova also won silver, overcoming opponents from Serbia, Turkey, and Albania. Her path to the final was interrupted by another Slovak athlete - Evgeniya Gadjich.
Nadie Zhaafar added to the Bulgarian team's success with a bronze medal in the 70 kilograms category, defeating Greek athlete Alexandra Papagianaki in the small final.
Stiliyan Gushkov in the 66 kilograms category remained in fifth place, after losing to future champion Ori Gal Shai from Israel and being defeated by Mohamad Musaev from Azerbaijan. Ivo Dimitrov concluded the Bulgarian team's performance with seventh place in the 73 kilograms category.
A total of 226 athletes from 26 countries participated in the tournament, with Bulgaria represented by 16 young athletes who showed high potential and skill in judo.