Gaia Stella won the gold medal in the under-52 kg category at the Under-23 European Judo Championships in Naples, securing the title on the opening day of the continental tournament at PalaVesuvio.

The Path to the Under-52 kg European Title

Stella’s gold-medal campaign on the tatami in Naples featured a series of dominant victories through the elimination rounds. Before advancing to the final match against Beorlegui Oses, the Italian judoka overcame Poland’s Martyna Galek, Georgia’s Nino Tatrishvili, and Serbia’s Bojana Savic.

Stella achieved her four consecutive victories in the under-52 kg division through technical scoring without needing to enter the Golden Score period. This European Under-23 gold adds to Stella’s previous continental success, following her junior European title won in Bratislava in 2025.

Italy Dominates the Opening Day in Naples

Italy capitalized on home-court advantage at PalaVesuvio, finishing the opening day of the 2026 Under-23 European Championships at the top of the medal table. The host delegation captured two gold medals and two silver medals during the tournament’s first day, which featured athletes born between 2004 and 2011.

Alongside Stella’s victory, the Italian squad celebrated a gold medal from Fabrizio Esposito in the men’s under-73 kg division. Esposito made the Neapolitan public explode with joy, winning his first major international medal at 22 years old after five matches won by technical score, and defeating Bulgaria’s Victor Skerlev during a Golden Score period in the final. The silver medals for the host nation came from Pietro Andreini in the under-60 kg category—who lost his final to Israel’s Yehonatan Veksler by waza-ari—and Michela Terranova in the under-57 kg division, who fell by ippon to Spain’s Adriana Rodriguez Salvador.

Celebration in Sermoneta and the Pontine Territory

The triumph resonated deeply within the Latina province, bringing international recognition to the municipality of Sermoneta. Community members highlighted the significance of an athlete from the Pontine area reaching the top of the European podium while representing Italy and the Fiamme Gialle.

The success underscored years of athletic preparation and sacrifice. While the Italian team continues its campaign through the remaining weight classes at PalaVesuvio, Stella’s performance on the opening day established her among the premier young competitors in European judo.

Summary of Podiums on the First Day

Below is the summary of the podiums from the first day of the 2026 European Under-23 Judo Championships:

• -48 kg F: 1. Bogdan (Rou), 2. Vandevoort (Bel), 3. Ertem (Tur) and Szeleczki (Hun)
• -52 kg F: 1. Stella (Ita), 2. Beorlegui Oses (Esp), 3. Hayun (Isr) and Cuq (Fra)
• -57 kg F: 1. Rodriguez Salvador (Esp), 2. Terranova (Ita), 3. Melis (Fra) and Loladze (Geo)
• -63 kg F: 1. Simic (Cro), 2. Cvjetko (Cro), 3. Nisavic (Srb) and Nitsche (Ger)
• -60 kg M: 1. Veksler (Isr), 2. Andreini (Ita), 3. Gadelia (Geo) and Motoly Bongambe (Fra)
• -66 kg M: 1. Rahimov (Aze), 2. Von Harten (Ned), 3. Viskov (Ukr) and Milosevic (Srb)
• -73 kg M: 1. Esposito (Ita), 2. Skerlev (Bul), 3. Mitru (Mda) and Beruashvili (Geo)