Continental Open Success for Hatashita Sports Athletes in Tunisia and Slovenia

Hatashita Sports judo athletes continued their strong international form with standout performances at two major IJF Continental Open competitions, the Tunis African Open and the 2026 Ljubljana European Open. Competing across Africa and Europe, Hatashita Sports athletes earned multiple bronze medals, valuable world ranking points, and top five finishes against high level international opposition.

Podium Finishes at the Tunis African Open

At the Tunis African Open judo competition, Hatashita Sports athletes delivered impressive results, earning two bronze medals and strengthening their positions in the IJF World Rankings.

In the -52kg category, Toni Pepia, a newly sponsored Hatashita Sports athlete, continued her rapid rise on the international judo circuit. After earning a silver medal at the Casablanca Continental Open last month, Pepia followed up with another strong performance in Tunisia. These back to back results have pushed her to number 94 in the IJF World Rankings, marking an important milestone early in her partnership with Hatashita Sports.

In -57kg, Noran Elmahroukey captured a bronze medal after a determined performance in Tunis. After finishing fifth at the Casablanca Continental Open last month, Elmahroukey showed clear progress and competitive consistency. Her podium finish at the Tunis African Open has now placed her inside the top 100 of the IJF World Rankings, a significant achievement at this stage of her international career.

Strong Performances at the Ljubljana European Open

Hatashita Sports athletes also made their presence felt at the 2026 Ljubljana European Open judo tournament, securing additional podium finishes and strong placements against deep international fields.

In the -60kg category, Jonathan Yang delivered an outstanding performance to claim a bronze medal. Yang opened his campaign with a victory over Bart Weling of the Netherlands, scoring with a drop sode for yuko. He then defeated David Naji of Hungary, first scoring with a drop sode for yuko before finishing the contest with a drop sleeve seoi nage for ippon. Yang narrowly missed a place in the final after losing his semifinal in Golden Score to Samariddin Kuchkarov of Uzbekistan. Showing strong resilience, he rebounded in the bronze medal match, throwing Olivier Naert with a drop sode for yuko in Golden Score to secure his place on the podium.

Also competing in the -60kg division, Christopher Velazco recorded a solid fifth place finish at the Ljubljana European Open. His performance demonstrated consistency and competitiveness throughout the day and contributed to an overall successful showing for Hatashita Sports in Slovenia.

In the -81kg  category, Dominic Rodriguez earned a bronze medal following an impressive run through the draw. After receiving a first round bye, Rodriguez defeated Lovro Mocnik of Slovenia with a drop sode for ippon in just 12 seconds. He followed this with a victory over Saikhan Shabikhanov of Russia, scoring with kouchi gake for yuko before countering for ippon. In the quarterfinals, Rodriguez defeated Thien Oulevey of Switzerland with a side takedown for yuko and an uchi mata for waza ari. After falling short in the semifinal, he regrouped in the bronze medal contest, throwing Abdelrahman Abdelgahany of Egypt with a low ouchi gari for yuko in Golden Score to secure his medal.

Building Momentum on the IJF Judo Tour

With strong results across the Tunis African Open and the Ljubljana European Open, Hatashita Sports athletes continue to establish themselves on the international judo stage. The team now looks ahead to upcoming IJF competitions as they continue building world ranking points and momentum throughout the season.

Photo Credit: European Judo Union