Yonezuka and Semenenko Win Double Junior European Cup Gold

(Colorado Springs, CO) – Two members of Team USA broke a six-year drought for the U.S. men on the Junior European Cup circuit over the weekend with Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, NJ / NYAC / Cranford Judo & Karate Center) and Alex Semenenko (Staten Island, NY / Generation Judo Club) each winning gold in Skopje, North Macedonia.

2023 Skopje Junior European Cup Results

With his latest win, 20-year-old Yonezuka climbs to No. 1 in the Junior World Rankings at 73 kg.

Although this marks the first gold medal at a Junior European Cup for Yonezuka, the 2022 Junior World bronze medalist won two previous continental Cup titles this season, taking gold at the Tunis Junior African Cup in Tunisia in March and the Cordoba Junior Pan American Cup in Argentina in June.

On Saturday, Yonezuka won three straight matches in the second minute to advance to the semifinals where he emerged from a Golden Score (overtime) battle victorious by a waza-ari (half-point) score against Dardan Cena (KOS) – a 2022 Junior European Championships bronze medalist.

In the finals, pinned Junior World No. 10 Lasha Tsatsalashvili (CAN) to win gold.

The Skopje tournament is just first of three straight European competitions for Yonezuka who will compete next weekend at the Zagreb Grand Prix and will finish the month out at the Gaia Senior European Cup in preparation for the Senior Pan American Championships in September.

For 18-year-old Semenenko, this tournament would be his first on the international circuit since competing at the 2019 Cadet World Championships at 90 kg. A sophomore wrestler at Brown University, Semenenko has focused on wrestling during recent years, winning gold at the 2021 USA Wrestling Junior Greco-Roman Nationals and narrowly missing qualifying for the 2023 U20 Greco-Roman World Team as a runner-up to the squad earlier this summer.

On the judo mat, Semenenko won gold at the Junior Olympics in June to qualify for his first Junior World Team and followed with a Junior U.S. Open title last month.

In Skopje, Semenenko drew a bye into the quarter-finals on Sunday where he defeated 2022 Cadet World Team member Ioannis Kostelidis (GRE) by ippon (instant win). Semenenko advanced to the finals after a win by a waza-ari just 14 minutes into Golden Score against Junior World No. 15 Kabriel Kirna (EST).

Top eight and U.S. results are as follows:

Men’s 60 kg
1. Egilsten Amarasekara (NOR)
2. Rastko Andjeloic (SRB)
3. Tal Shenkman (ISR)
3. Khalid Alharbi (KSA)
5. Muhamedin Veseli (KOS)
5. Manuel Tischhauser (LIE)
7. Matija Jeremic (SRB)
7. Ignat Petrov (MKD)

Women’s 48 kg
1. Ana Cobanovic (SRB)
2. Sofia Rangelova (BUL)
3. Summer Shaw (GBR)
3. Sara Osmani (KOS) 
5. Milana Stevanovic (MNE)
5. Nika Zovko (BIH)
7. Tea Nastoska (MKD)
7. Anamarija Stojmilovska (MKD)

Men’s 66 kg
1. Abdulsamet Cakir (TUR)
2. Boyan Yotov (BUL)
3. Marko Lojanicic (SRB)
3. Ziv Sherer (ISR)
5. Petar Radovic (MNE)
5. Vilar Lipard (EST)
7. Dion Sharapolli (KOS)
7. Klajdi Bitri (ALB)

Women’s 52 kg
1. Seya Yildirim (TUR)
2. Madeleine Birri (GBR)
3. Buketnur Karabulut (TUR)
3. Mina Gacic (SRB)
5. Ayse Nur Sulun (TUR)
5. Sara Jocic (SRB)
7. Yaren Komurcu (TUR)
7. Milica Jovanovic (SRB)

Men’s 73 kg
1. Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, NJ / NYAC / Cranford JKC)
2. Lasha Tsatsalashvili (CAN)
3. Mariyan Palev (BUL)         
3. Luke Davies (GBR)
5. Dimitrios Giannopoulos (GRE)
5. Dardan Cena (KOS)
7. Hidayet Adiyaman (TUR)
7. Darko Topalovic (BIH)   

Women’s 57 kg
1. Pihla Salonen (FIN)
2. Helene Riegert (GER)
3. Jevgenija Gajic (SLO)
3. Nino Loladze (GEO)
5. Meryem Iclal Arslan (TUR)
5. Kristina Nisavic (SRB)
7. Lea Wyss (LIE)
7. Elif Agar (TUR)        

Men’s 81 kg
1. Vasilije Grujicic (SRB)
2. Lazar Zdrale (BIH)
3. Djordje Milanov (SRB)
3. Pelle Mattsson (SWE)
5. Stavros Doumas (GRE)
5. Hristo Valkov (BUL)
7. Dimitrije Savic (BIH)
7. Rasmus Hakanson (SWE)     

Women’s 63 kg
1. Esmee Kroon (NED)
2. Debora Gjakova (KOS)
3. Gretha Ostlind (SWE)
3. Eter Askilashvili (GEO)
5. Nina Cvjetko (CRO)
5. Tora Brataas (NOR)
7. Valentina Gagic (SRB)
7. Liljana Nedanovska (MKD)

Men’s 90 kg
1. Milan Bulaja (SRB)
2. David Ali (FRA)
3. Patrik Roostfeldt (EST)
3. Vojin Mandic (SRB)
5. Tobias Jelinek (CZE)
5. Andrii Marchenko (UKR)
7. Rohil Noor (NOR)
7. Marko Jovanovic (SRB)

Women’s 70 kg
1. Korina Dzidic (BIH)
2. Nika Slacek (CRO)
3. Jana Dugonjic (SRB)
3. Elma Poprzenovi (BIH)
5. Jovana Cakarevic (SRB)
5. Sara Sancic (CRO)
7. Maya Ribeiro Novais (SWE)
7. Johanna Elisabeth Klinger (BIH)

Men’s 100 kg
1. Lukas Roswall (SWE)
2. Lasha Maisuradze (GEO)
3. Jakob Vares (EST)
3. Andrija Martinovic (MNE)
5. Bogdan Petre (ROU)
5. Vid Kavnik (SLO)
7. Ognjen Djurisic (SRB)
7. Djordjije Djordjevic (SRB)

Women’s 78 kg
1. Jovana Stjepanovic (SRB)
2. Sofija Pajic (BIH)
3. Una Micic (BIH)

Men’s +100 kg
1. Alex Semenenko (Staten Island, NY / Generation Judo Club)
2. Pavlos Avraam Mavromatis (GRE)
3. Ioannis Kostelidis (GRE)
3. Stefan Kovinic (MNE)
5. Saud Manaie (KSA)
5. Kabriel Kirna (EST)
7. Angel Slavkov (BUL)

Women’s +78 kg
1. Marcelina Vranjes (CRO)
2. Anastasija Bogdanovic (SRB)
3. Jovana Mrvaljevic (MNE)
3. Lana Bjelica (BIH)
5. Polina Koleva (BUL)
5. Katerina Acevska (MKD)