The twin sister of World Championship bronze medalist Mascha Ballhaus causes an upset in Montenegro.
Seija Ballhaus has won a surprise gold medal at the European Championships in Podgorica, securing the first medal for the German Judo Federation (DJB). On the second day of the title fights in Montenegro, the 24-year-old from Hamburg prevailed in the final of the 57 kg class against the number one seed, Eteri Liparteliani from Georgia, and thus secured an unexpected triumph for the German team.
It was Ballhaus’ first medal at a major international championship, stepping out of the shadow of her twin sister Mascha. Mascha Ballhaus had finished third at the 2024 World Championships in the weight class below (52 kg) and won bronze at the 2023 European Championships. Mascha Ballhaus did not compete at the European Championships in Podgorica, but the World Championships in Budapest (June 13-20) are still to come this season.
Seija Ballhaus became U23 European champion in 2021, but lost the bronze medal match at the European Championships in the same year.
Alina Böhm was the last German judoka to win European gold in 2022 and 2023. Sigrid Happ (1975, 1976, and 1977) was the only German female fighter to become European lightweight champion. In 2024 in Zagreb, the German team failed to win any titles, with Anna-Maria Wagner (silver) and Böhm (bronze) winning the only individual medals for the DJB.
