Armenian Judokas Begin European U23 Championships: Nahapetyan Falls Short of Bronze, Aghasyan Finishes Seventh

The 2026 European U23 Judo Championships got underway on October 30 in Naples, Italy. Four Armenian athletes competed on the opening day of the tournament. Shavarsh Nahapetyan recorded Armenia's best result, finishing fifth in the men's 60 kg category.

Shavarsh Nahapetyan Falls One Victory Short of a Medal

Armenia was represented by two judokas in the men's 60 kg category — Shavarsh Nahapetyan and Vahe Aghasyan.

Shavarsh Nahapetyan began his campaign with a victory over a Polish opponent but suffered a defeat against an Italian judoka in the quarterfinals.

In the repechage, the Armenian athlete bounced back with a win over a Hungarian opponent, earning a chance to compete for the bronze medal.

In the decisive bronze medal contest, Nahapetyan faced Georgia's Luka Gadelia but was defeated. As a result, the Armenian judoka finished fifth at the European Championships.

Vahe Aghasyan also made a strong start to the competition, securing two consecutive victories against opponents from Austria and Germany.

However, Aghasyan lost to an Israeli judoka in the quarterfinals before moving into the repechage. A subsequent defeat against a French opponent ended his hopes of claiming a bronze medal.

Aghasyan concluded the European Championships in seventh place.

Bekhchyan and Torosyan Eliminated in Opening Contests

In the men's 66 kg category, Arshak Bekhchyan was defeated in his opening contest by Gagik Martirosyan, representing Ukraine.

Martirosyan went on to reach the semifinals, where he lost to an Azerbaijani opponent. In the bronze medal contest, the Ukrainian representative was defeated by a Serbian judoka.

In the men's 73 kg category, Artak Torosyan was also eliminated after his opening contest, suffering a defeat against a Hungarian opponent.

Which Armenian Judokas Will Compete Next?

Two more Armenian judokas are scheduled to compete at the European U23 Championships on October 31:

• 81 kg — Tigran Sarukhanyan

• 100 kg — Gor Karapetyan

Following the opening day of competition, Armenia remains without a medal. Shavarsh Nahapetyan came closest to reaching the podium, falling just one victory short of securing bronze.

The European U23 Judo Championships are taking place in Naples from October 30 to November 1, with 275 judokas from 36 countries competing in the individual events.