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Seventeen-year-old Turkish judoka Havva Sena Tokmak has capped off a strong European Cup run with a gold medal in Portugal, after winning three bronze medals in her previous three international events over the past three months.
Competing for Konya Buyuksehir Belediyespor, Tokmak reached the top of the podium at the Cadet European Cup in Faro, Portugal, where 597 judokas from 33 countries took part. The national athlete fought in the 40-kg category and continued her rise on the international stage with another medal-winning performance.
Tokmak had already collected bronze medals at European Cup events in Teplice, Antalya and Berlin before arriving in Portugal. In Faro, she moved past her Spanish opponent by ippon, a decisive judo score that immediately ends a contest and is often compared to a knockout.
She then beat her French opponent in the semifinal and overcame a Brazilian rival in the final to claim the European Cup title.
The result marked her fourth medal from four European Cup appearances this year and strengthened her position in the world rankings.
Tokmak said she began judo during her primary school years and credited her coaches, Hakan and Seyda Aydogan, as well as her family, for guiding and supporting her career.
She said her recent success was built on intense preparation, explaining that she trained twice a day and worked constantly to reach this level. After winning the Turkish championship earlier this year, she followed up with European Cup bronze medals in Czechia, Antalya and Germany before claiming gold in Portugal.
Looking ahead, Tokmak said her next targets are the European and world championships.
She added that her longer-term goal is to keep up her success at the junior level and take part in the 2032 Olympic Games.
Konya Buyuksehir Belediyespor judo coach Hakan Aydogan said Tokmak has been training at the club for around nine years and has earned important results in Turkish championships since coming through the youth ranks.
Aydogan said the recent results had lifted her in the world rankings and placed her among the leading contenders ahead of the European Championship. He added that the club has high medal expectations and will then look toward the World Championship.
He also said Tokmak's achievements have become an important source of motivation for younger athletes in the club's development system.
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