France’s Shirine Boukli, 23, brought France its first title at the European Judo Championships by beating Portugal’s Catarina Costa in the -48 kg final on Friday in Sofia. Boukli won on a waza-ari in the last minute of the fight to win the second European title of her career, after that of 2020.
“I’m very happy with this second victory, it’s a lot of work that is rewarded,” she reacted after receiving her medal. “I was able to express myself globally and be intelligent when needed. »
To reach the final, Boukli successively dominated the Belgian Ellen Salens, then the Serbian Andrea Stojadinov and the Spaniard Julia Figueroa. The judoka is thus moving forward again after the disappointing Tokyo Olympics, where she was the only Frenchwoman without a medal.
“After the Games, I wanted to get back into the fight quickly because it’s true that I had been disappointed,” added Boukli. “I’m happy, it’s a goal fulfilled. »