Alice Bellandi’s Triple Crown Was Built on Doubt, Nerves and Relentless Growth

Alice Bellandi is at the center of one of judo’s standout stories after completing a rare triple crown. The Italian star won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024, took the world title in 2025 and then added the European crown in 2026, but her latest comments show that success has not made her feel settled.

In a JudoPod episode, Bellandi described a mindset that feels surprising for an athlete at the top of the sport. Even with the biggest titles in judo already on her record, she said she still feels like the newcomer, still like the one chasing rather than being chased. That attitude seems to fuel her more than any medal count.

Her European Championships victory in 2026 looks even stronger when placed next to what came just before it. After the Paris Grand Slam in February, an injury forced her to stop training for three weeks at the start of the 2026 IJF World Judo Tour season. Instead of arriving in full confidence, she came into the event feeling vulnerable and underprepared.

On the morning of competition, Bellandi said she was overwhelmed by nerves. But she held on to one idea: you do not need to feel great to do great things. Once she stepped on the tatami, she trusted herself to switch into fight mode. A few days later, she had completed the set of Olympic, world and European titles.

Bellandi’s latest title came after weeks of doubt, not comfort.

What stands out is that she does not treat those results as a finish line. Bellandi speaks about her career as a process, something that is still moving and still changing. Rather than seeing herself as an athlete who has arrived, she views these achievements as the base for the next challenge, with Los Angeles 2028 already in sight.

That same mindset shows up in her judo. Bellandi explained that some of her best actions happen instinctively, led by feeling more than deliberate thought. At the same time, she keeps searching for new answers and new ways to attack, refusing to depend on the same patterns over and over.

That need to evolve has only grown since becoming world champion. Wearing the red backpatch changes everything. Opponents study more, analyze more and prepare specifically for her. Bellandi understands that staying on top in judo is not just about defending what already works. It means changing before others can catch up.

An earlier decision also reshaped her career in a deeper way. Moving from -70 kg to -78 kg changed her relationship with the sport after severe weight cuts had become so hard that they caused panic attacks. She called the move the only choice, and it brought more than a competitive adjustment. It helped her become a healthier and happier athlete, with a better balance between her body, food and performance.

Her move to -78 kg did more than change results.

Resilience is the thread running through Bellandi’s story. She spoke about major finals in which exhaustion took over, her mind became clouded and her body felt empty, yet she still found a way to continue. Faith, she said, has become one of her strongest sources of support in those moments.

For Bellandi, the message is clear and powerful in a very human way. In judo, success is not reserved for the days when everything feels perfect. Sometimes it belongs to the athlete who steps forward anyway.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation