Evan Molloy Claims IBSA European Championships Silver in Heidelberg
August 14, 2026
Evan Molloy (Devizes JC) is Great Britain’s first medallist at the 2026 IBSA Judo European Championships in Germany, securing a career-best silver medal in the -81kg J2 category.
Molloy’s silver medal improves on his fifth-place finish at last year’s event, as he stepped onto the European Championships podium in Heidelberg
The British judoka opened his campaign against Bela Bel Heinze (GER), producing a dominant performance from the outset. Molloy dominated from the outset, putting in a commanding performance before finishing the contest with ippon exactly halfway through the fight, immediately showing his intent to challenge for the medals.
In the semi-final, Molloy faced Dmytro Solovey (UKR), a familiar opponent whom he had met just last month at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Having suffered defeat on that occasion, Molloy produced a brilliant response in Heidelberg to avenge that loss in emphatic fashion.
He took a waza-ari lead before finishing the contest with ippon, booking his place in his first European Championships final.
Standing between Molloy and European gold was Levan Gugava (GEO). On this occasion, however, it was the Georgian who came away with the victory, leaving Molloy with a superb silver medal and the best European Championships result of his career.
Reflecting on his achievement, Molloy said: “I’m extremely happy to be able to say that I’ve competed in the final of the European Championships. I think, naturally, a little bit gutted not to be able to take home the gold, but I think we’ve had an extremely good day in terms of the performance today.
“I’d like to thank UK Sport, British Judo, and the National Lottery for helping towards this. Coach says it takes a village to be able to make these things happen, and we’ve got a big team behind us that can take a piece of this as well. So, massive thank you to everybody who’s had their part.
“World Championships next month, the plan is going for gold, I’ve got to be honest. I’m extremely hungry to be able to be topping these podiums now, and I think it’s get back, get our heads down, and go again in five weeks’ time for the World Championships.”
Congratulations, Evan, on a fantastic achievement!
Congratulations also to up-and-coming Jolene Donaghue and Jimmy Alderson, who gained valuable experience at European Championships level in Heidelberg. The opportunity to compete on this stage will be hugely beneficial as both continue their development.
Good luck to the rest of the British team competing tomorrow!
