Toprak and Nairne Secure 5th and 7th Places at 2026 European Judo Championships

A strong day for Great Britain saw Acelya Toprak take 5th place, and Ethan Nairne secure 7th on Day 2 of the 2026 Senior European Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Acelya Toprak (Camberley) claimed 5th place at the 2026 European Championships, marking her best-ever result at this event in an impressive performance, finishing just outside the medals on this occasion.

Starting her day in the Round of 32, she faced Irina Zueva (RUS), world number 19, in a tightly contested opening bout that went into Golden Score. Very little separated the two judoka, and with both accumulating two shidos apiece, the contest was ultimately decided by a third penalty, with Zueva receiving hansoku-make.

In the Round of 16, the Brit faced Jevgenija Gajic (SLO), who placed 7th at last year’s European Championships and 5th at the 2025 World Championships. Toprak produced a composed and controlled performance, dictating the contest throughout to score two yukos and book her place in the quarter-finals.

Up next, she faced her toughest challenge yet in Sarah-Leonie Cysique (FRA), world number three, Olympic bronze medallist from Paris 2024, Olympic silver medallist from Tokyo 2020, and 2025 World Championships bronze medallist. The French fighter arrived with a wealth of experience and major honours on the IJF World Tour, including a gold medal at this year’s Paris Grand Slam. However, Toprak rose to the occasion brilliantly, securing a decisive yuko in the closing 30 seconds to upset one of the pre-tournament favourites and reach the semi-finals.

With a medal fight now guaranteed, Toprak faced Timna Nelson Levy (ISR) in the semi-final — the world number four, two-time Olympian, and former European champion with extensive IJF World Tour experience. Toprak struck first with a yuko, but Nelson Levy soon levelled the contest. The bout went into golden score, with both athletes pushing for a place in the final. After six minutes, it was Nelson Levy who scored a decisive yuko, sending Toprak into the bronze medal contest and her first senior European Championships final block, a significant milestone in her career.

In her final contest of the day, Toprak faced Binta Ndiaye (SUI) for the bronze medal. Toprak took an early yuko lead in an incredibly close battle, but Ndiaye levelled the score to send the contest into golden score. Unfortunately on this occasion, it was Ndiaye who landed a decisive ippon to secure victory, leaving Toprak with a well-earned 5th-place finish.

This result continues the British judoka’s strong run of form, following her fifth-place finish at the Tbilisi Grand Slam last month. It is a performance she will look to build on as momentum gathers ahead of the Commonwealth Games and Olympic qualification cycle this summer.

What an achievement, Acelya — a performance and result to be very proud of.

Great Britain also saw an excellent performance from Ethan Nairne (Bradley Stoke), who narrowly missed out on a place in the bronze medal contest in the -73kg category, ultimately finishing 7th in his debut at the event.

Beginning his day in the Round of 32, he faced Joshua Green (IRL) in a tough opening contest that went into golden score, where Nairne secured victory with a yuko.

In the Round of 16, he took on Jano Ruebo (GER) in another closely contested bout that again went into golden score. With little separating the two athletes and Nairne already carrying two shidos, he remained composed and 45 seconds into golden score, produced an excellent throw for ippon to reach the quarter-finals on his senior European Championships debut, a significant achievement.

Bilal Ciloglu (TUR) awaited in the quarter-finals. In another tense contest that went into golden score, Nairne was unable to come out on the right side of the result, as Ciloglu, who would go on to take one of the bronze medals, scored a decisive yuko to send him into the repechage for one final chance to reach the medal contests.

There, he faced the other eventual bronze medallist Dayyan Boulemtafes (FRA). Nairne showed excellent resilience to level the contest with a well-timed waza-ari after his opponent took an early lead, but Boulemtafes responded to secure victory with waza-ari-awasete-ippon, bringing the Bradley Stoke judoka’s day in Tbilisi to a close.

Nairne continues to show impressive development in 2026, establishing himself as a serious contender in the -73kg category. He will take confidence from this performance, alongside his Grand Prix Upper Austria gold medal earlier in the season, as he builds towards the rest of the year.

A strong showing, Ethan — congratulations!

Ben Levy (Budokwai) also produced a solid performance, securing a first-round win in the -73kg category, an encouraging experience for the 21-year-old.

Great Britain returns to the European Championships tomorrow with Kelly Petersen-Pollard in the -70kg category.