A record-breaking field of 618 young judokas representing 32 countries gathered at the Pavilhão Municipal da Penha in Faro, Portugal, for the Faro Millennium Team Cadet European Cup 2026 on May 23 and 24.
The event marked the largest international judo competition ever held on Portuguese soil, according to the Portuguese Judo Federation (FPJ).
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Among the 374 male and 244 female under-18 athletes, 21 competitors were ranked in the global top 10.
Spain sent the largest contingent with 136 athletes, followed by Italy with 100, host nation Portugal with 99, France with a sizeable delegation, and Brazil with 34 competitors, as reported by JudoInside.
com.
Italy Dominates Lightweight Categories on Opening Day
Italy dominated the lighter weight categories on Saturday, winning six of the eight contested divisions and sweeping the entire boys' -55 kg podium.
Italian judoka Aurora Ferro claimed gold in the girls' -44 kg category by defeating world number three Fenne Peeters of the Netherlands in the final.
"Last year I won bronze and I was very happy but this year I came for gold. Character, technique, and tactics made the difference," Ferro said.
Spanish athlete Hugo Lopez Pereira earned silver in the boys' -50 kg division after beating world ranking leader Arthur Bonato of Brazil before losing to Italy's Ismael Mehabra in the final.
"It was a good competition. I went contest by contest, without thinking about who was in front of me," Lopez Pereira said.
