Four medals and two continental titles on opening day at PalaVesuvio set a historic benchmark for the Italian team at the European Under-23 Judo Championships in Naples, napolitoday.it reported. Fighting in front of a capacity home crowd in Ponticelli, the host nation advanced four athletes to gold-medal matches during Friday’s opening session, securing two gold and two silver medals to dominate the first day of individual competition.

Fabrizio Esposito Claims Gold in the 73kg Category

The standout performance for the host city came from Fabrizio Esposito, representing Fiamme Azzurre, who captured the gold medal in the 73kg division. Esposito navigated a demanding bracket by defeating Slovenia’s Ogrizek, Lithuania’s Karalevicious, and Ukraine’s Khalidov. In the semifinal, he secured a waza-ari victory over Georgia’s Beruashvili to reach the final against Bulgaria’s Skerlev, a bronze medalist at both the Mongolia Grand Slam and China Grand Prix 2026.

The championship bout extended into golden score before Esposito secured the decisive point to claim the under-23 European title. Speaking after his victory, Esposito described the emotional weight of winning at home, noting that the victory was shared with family, friends, and his Fiamme Azzurre teammates after grueling matches against familiar opponents.

Michela Terranova Secures Silver in the 57kg Final

Michela Terranova added a silver medal for the host delegation in the 57kg weight class. The Carabinieri athlete and 2025 under-21 European champion advanced past Romania’s Tolea, Lithuania’s Kouchar, and Georgia’s Loladze to reach the final against Spain’s Rodriguez Salvador. Terranova established an early lead with a yuko, but surrendered an ippon with two minutes remaining in the contest to finish as the European runner-up.

Reflecting on her performance, Terranova expressed satisfaction with translating her success into the older age category. She dedicated her silver medal to her coach, Giovanni Carollo, alongside her sporting group and the national federation.

Gaia Stella and Pietro Andreini Complete Friday’s Podium Finishers

Gaia Stella of Fiamme Gialle secured the under-23 title in the 52kg division by defeating Poland’s Galek, Georgia’s Tatrishvili, and Serbia’s Savic, before overcoming Spain’s Beorlegui Oses with a decisive yuko in the final.

In the 60kg category, Pietro Andreini of Aeronautica Militare advanced past Serbia’s Nikolic, Armenia’s Nahapetyan, and Azerbaijan’s Muradli. Andreini earned the silver medal after dropping the final match to Israel’s Veksler.

Manuel Parlati Headlines Saturday’s Matches at PalaVesuvio

Competition continues with six additional Italian judoka scheduled to compete at PalaVesuvio. The slate is headlined by Manuel Parlati of Fiamme Oro, the reigning under-23 European champion in the 81kg division, who aims to defend his title on home soil. Additional Italian competitors taking to the tatami include Serena Ondei in the 70kg class, Lucia Magli in the 78kg class, Sofia Kubler in the over-78kg category, Cristiano Mincinesi in the 90kg division, and Francesco Basso in the over-100kg category.