European Championships in Zadar: German dominance and dramatic victories!

© Brigitte Kraußer

European Championship in Zadar: German Dominance and Dramatic Victories!

The European Championship in Zadar provided perfect conditions, and the German team excelled across the board. Everything just fell into place, and the performances were of the highest caliber.
 

Mia Bitsch: The Newcomer Who Made History

Mia Bitsch impressively fought her way through the preliminaries, landing in the semi-finals against the reigning world champion. In an intense, nerve-wracking battle, she defeated the Turkish competitor and advanced to the final. Two days later, the 20-year-old found herself in her first Senior European Championship final against a Spaniard. She dominated the match, leading 4-2 until the end. With just one second left, the tension mounted, but the video review confirmed: Mia Bitsch is the European champion! The German team celebrated exuberantly, and her coach and brother Noah Bitsch were filled with pride.
 

More German Success: A Golden Streak

But that's not all: Johanna Kneer (+68 kg) defended her title and became European champion for the second consecutive time. Reem Khamis (-61 kg) won bronze, as did Jasmin Jüttner in Kata. The crowning achievement came from the German women's team with Mia Bitsch. After two nerve-racking battles, they triumphed and became European champions for the third time in four years. This made Mia a two-time European champion in her first Senior European Championship.

© Brigitte Kraußer

Greek Brilliance and More

The Century/Punok team also celebrated great success. Stefanos Xenos fought spectacularly and with incredible energy from round to round, ultimately dominating the final against Albania. He also became European champion, and the Greek team secured the runner-up title.
 

Other Participants from Punok

Also competing for Punok were Emina Sipovic (-61 kg), Anita Serogina (-61 kg), Florian Haas (-60 kg), and Niamh Crosgove (-50 kg).