Judo: Andreea Chitu wins silver at European Championships in Prague

Romanian athlete Andreea Chitu won the silver gold medal in the 52kg category of the European Seniors Championships 2020 in Prague, after she was defeated by waza ari by Italian Odette Giuffrida on Thursday.

Chitu and Giuffrida have met 13 times so far, the Romanian having five victories, while the Italian won for the eighth time on Thursday. Giuffrida won the last five contests with Chitu.

Chitu, world vice-champion in 2014 and 2015, defeated in the round of 16 Belgian Amber Ryheul, in the quarterfinals she passed Russian Natalia Kuziutina, world vice-champion last year, and in the semifinals she defeated Spanish Ana Perez Box.

The bronze medals went to Belgian Charline van Snick and Spanish Estrella Lopez Sheriff.

Andreea Chitu (32 years old) won the European title in 2012, in Chelyabinsk, and in 2015 she won the gold medal at the European Games.

Also in the 52-kg category, Alexandra Pop lost in the first round to Polish Karolina Pienkowska, then was defeated by Giuffrida.

In the men's competition, in the 66-kg category, the Romanian of Russian origin Petr Zhukov was defeated in the first round by Spaniard Alberto Gaitero Martin, while Lucian Bors-Dumitrescu passed in the first round Dutchman Ivo Verhorstert, but lost in the round of 16 to Georgian Vaja Margvelashvili.

Romania participates with 13 judokas in the European Championships in Prague, eight in the men's and five in the women's competition. On Friday, Alexandru Raicu, Adrian Sulca (both in the 73-kg category), Marcel Cercea (81 kg), Alex Cret (90 kg), Eduard Serban (100 kg), Luca Kunszabo (+ 100 kg), respectively Stefania Adelina Dobre, Florentina Ivanescu (both in the 63-kg category) and Serafima Moscalu (70 kg).

345 judokas from 40 countries entered the competition, 209 men and 136 women.