Historic Home Medal and Dutch Control Shape Adapted Kata in Sarajevo

Sarajevo delivered one of the most meaningful moments of the European Judo Championships Kata 2026 as the Adapted Judo programme returned for the third time in a fully inclusive format. On the closing day, 36 judoka from eight countries took part, with 18 pairs competing across the official categories and one additional pair performing Kodokan Goshin Jutsu as a demonstration.

The results mattered, but so did the bigger picture. Adapted Nage-no-Kata keeps the structure and principles of Kodokan Nage-no-Kata while allowing changes that match the functional abilities of judoka with disabilities. In Sarajevo, that balance between technical precision, safety and inclusion stood at the centre of the event.

In Sarajevo, medals mattered, but so did every step onto the tatami.

The Netherlands were the standout nation across the programme. In Nage-no-Kata 1A, Timo Hup and Robin Gerritsen took gold with 260 points, ahead of Dutch teammates Sanne Simons and Thomas Schepen on 256. Tom Desantis and Fabian Smit completed an all-Dutch podium with 242.

Dutch success continued in Nage-no-Kata 1B, where Jim Van Den Broek and Mitchell Schoonhoven claimed gold on 229 points. Romania’s Madalin Constantin and Fabian Ristea followed for silver with 220.

In Adapted Nage-no-Kata 1B Ne-shisei, Cees Roest and Sebastiaan Fransen added another gold for the Netherlands with 260 points. Croatia’s Petra Orešković and Sanja Delladio secured silver on 254, while Serbia’s Vinko Lemić and Uglješa Vukobratović took bronze with 244 after missing the podium in previous editions.

That Serbian bronze carried special weight. Coach Sayonela Nela described it as the result of years of effort, daily work and belief, especially in the journey of Vinko Lemić, who lives with cerebral palsy and has also undergone 37 stomach surgeries. Their medal was presented not just as a placing, but as proof of persistence.

Katame-no-Kata 1B brought another Dutch gold through Nick Bisschop and Marieke Hessels, who scored 362 points. Sacha Mulder and Abigail Teunissen made it a Dutch one-two with silver on 336. Bronze, however, belonged to the hosts, and it was a landmark result.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Azra Dedić and Ella Čehajić won bronze with 137 points, giving the host nation its first-ever medal at the Kata European Championships and its first medal in Adapted Kata at this level. Dedić called it her first European medal and spoke about the happiness of winning it at home, while Čehajić said she was proud to support her friend as uke.

The loudest celebration in the hall may have been for the host nation.

Germany broke the Dutch run in Adapted Nage-no-Kata 1B Tachi-shisei. Uwe Helmich and Natascha Haseler won gold with 253 points after months of work on the newly separated category format. Slovenia’s Aljaž Colarič and Tina Peštotnik took silver on 231, and Italy’s Erik Cheli and Mauro Collini earned bronze with 229.

In Katame-no-Kata 1A, Damian Schoonhoven and Ethan Bink were the only entry, but still produced a strong performance to finish on 353 points and secure gold for the Netherlands.

Sarajevo also featured an adapted Kodokan Goshin Jutsu demonstration from Italy’s Erik Cheli and Tommaso Rondinini. It did not count for medals, but it added one more layer to a programme that showed just how broad judo can be.

Across the tatami, Sarajevo offered more than a medal table. It showed progress, emotion and a version of kata where technical quality and human resilience met in the same space.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union