First medal for German team
Judoka Ballhaus wins surprisingly EM gold
April 24, 2025 – 5:28 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
The 24-year-old Seija Ballhaus succeeds in the Judo European Championship in Podgorica the big hit. On Friday, the Olympic second for the German team goes on the mat.
A strong start for the German judo team at the European Championship in Montenegro: Seija Ballhaus has ensured a fist-thick surprise in the class up to 57 kilograms and secured the title. In Podgorica, the 24-year-old prevailed against Eteri Liesteliani from Georgia in the final and won the first German medal of the tournament-in gold.
For Ballhaus, which comes from Hamburg, the EM victory is the greatest success of her career to date. On the way to the final she defeated Pihla Salonen from Finland, Veronica Toniolo from Italy and Marica Perišić from Serbia.
Her twin sister Mascha Ballhaus was a World Cup in third year and competed in Paris at the Olympic Games. Now Seija is also in the spotlight. She had become U23 European champion in 2021, and she lost the fight for bronze in the same year.
In 2022 and 2023, Alina Böhm had won the last German judoka EM gold. As the only German fighter to date, Sigrid Happ (1975, 1976 and 1977) became a lightweight European champion. In 2024 in Zagreb the German team remained without a title, at that time Anna-Maria Wagner (silver) and Böhm (bronze) won the only single medals for the DJB.
Another German hope intervenes on the tournament on Friday: Miriam Butkereit will start up to 70 kilograms in the class. The Olympic second is one of the favorites on a medal.