Jules Back seizes his moment in a wide-open Cadet European -55 kg draw

Jules Back of France made the most of a chaotic day in the -55 kg division at the Cadet European Championships in Gran Canaria. In one of the biggest surprises of the opening day, the weight category saw every top four seed fall before the medal contests, leaving the door open for a completely unexpected finish.

A field of 29 judoka had already suggested the class would be tough, but the way the draw unfolded still felt dramatic. By the end of the preliminary rounds, none of the top four seeded athletes remained. Instead, four unseeded judoka pushed through and turned the category into one of the standout stories of the day.

In the top half of the semi-finals, Back faced Vitalii Lykhohliad of Ukraine. In the bottom half, Noham Benkrouidem of France went up against Luca Martini of Italy. Back and Martini both came through their semi-finals, securing themselves a first Cadet European Championship medal and setting up a final that few would have predicted at the start.

That alone made the result feel special. This was not a final built on long international track records or heavy expectations. It was shaped by young athletes taking their chance at exactly the right moment.

The -55 kg category became the day’s biggest plot twist.

Martini arrived in Gran Canaria with two Cadet European Cup medals already on his record, including gold in Faro 2026 and silver in Győr 2025. Back’s international résumé was even lighter, with his only previous podium coming at the Rome Cadet European Cup 2026. On paper, neither athlete looked like the obvious name to dominate this division.

But judo does not always follow paper form, and this category proved it in the clearest way possible. Back stayed in the fight as the seeded names disappeared one by one, then carried that momentum into the decisive rounds. For a young judoka with limited international results before this event, reaching the top on this stage marks a major breakthrough.

There was also a strong European feel to the final stages, with France and Italy represented in the last four and Ukraine also in the medal fight. France, in particular, had two athletes in the semi-finals through Back and Benkrouidem, underlining just how influential the nation was in this shaken-up category.

Back turned a rare opening into a career-defining result.

What makes this run so memorable is the contrast between expectation and delivery. In a division where the favourites were expected to control the story, Back wrote a different one. On the biggest stage of his young career so far, he rose to the occasion and completed a remarkable run in Gran Canaria.

Source: EJU.net