Raz Hershko Wins Silver at Abu Dhabi Grand Slam as Bibitko Takes European Gold
Raz Hershko won silver at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in the over-78 kg division. Meanwhile, Itay Bibitko claimed gold at the European U-23 Championships with five consecutive victories.
Raz Hershko captured the silver medal at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam on Saturday, adding another prestigious accolade to her impressive career. Competing in the over-78 kg weight category, the Israeli judoka fought her way to the final but ultimately settled for second place after losing to Croatia's Helena Vukovic.
Path to the Podium and Future Goals
Hershko began her tournament campaign in the quarter-finals, overcoming Brazil's Giovanna Santos through penalties. She repeated the tactical feat in the semi-final, defeating Italy's Erica Simonetti via penalties to secure her spot in the medal bout. In the gold-medal match, Vukovic claimed the top of the podium after Hershko picked up three penalties. Despite the final defeat, the 28-year-old Olympic silver medalist from the Paris 2024 Games continues to cement her status among the world elite, setting her sights on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
European U-23 Championship Glory
Simultaneously, at the European U-23 Judo Championships, Itay Bibitko delivered another stellar performance for the Israeli delegation. Competing in the under-81 kg division, Bibitko put together a flawless campaign with five consecutive victories to claim the gold medal, just a day after Yehonatan Wexler was crowned European champion. Bibitko opened his day by defeating Greece's Iason Kotzigiannis with two waza-aris culminating in an ippon. After overcoming Serbia's Aleksa Bovalo and Vasilije Grujic in the subsequent rounds, he dominated Turkey's Irman Gurgen in the semi-final by ippon. In the final, Bibitko needed less than a minute to dispatch Norway's Martin Bruvik Jensen by ippon, capping a dominant performance.
