The Bages and Moianès High-Performance Centre judo team recently secured four medals, including one gold, at the Spanish Children's and Cadet Championships held in Palma de Mallorca. This achievement highlights the strong performance of young judokas from the Bages and Moianès regions of Catalonia.
The team's haul comprised one gold and three bronze medals from the U15 and U18 categories. Bruna Rafat, representing Esport7, claimed the most significant victory, becoming the Spanish children's champion in the under 44-kilogram category. According to the source, this gold medal confirms her significant progress. Rafat triumphed over the favourite, Ainhoa Romero from Madrid, in the final, after defeating Julia Trujillo from the Balearic Islands, Vera Collazo from Galicia, and Inés Fonseca from Aragon in earlier rounds, including the semi-final.
The centre also celebrated three bronze medals. Carlos Llamas, also from Esport7, earned a bronze in the under 55-kilogram category. Inés Guerrero, from Club Judo Moià, secured a bronze in the under 57-kilogram category, and Ivet Beltran, representing Osona Judo Club, achieved bronze in the under 48-kilogram category.
Beyond the medals, the team accumulated several finalist diplomas. Nina Rafat, from Esport7, secured fifth place in the under 48-kilogram children's category. Seventh-place finishes went to Berta Domínguez in the under 63-kilogram cadet category, Dumi Croitor in the under 73-kilogram cadet category, both from Esport7, and Laia Coma, a cadet from Judo Moià, in the under 57-kilogram category. The delegation also included Gerard Casasayas, Martí Vinyals, Damià Bujor, Helena Busquets, Suri Gundin, Noa Lozano, and Guillem Domingo.
Centre's Ambition for More Medals
The technical direction of the Bages and Moianès High-Performance Centre expressed satisfaction with the team's overall results, but also indicated they were "not entirely satisfied". They acknowledged that the number of medals could have been higher, considering the judokas' performance throughout the season in the state tournament. Despite this, judo from the Bages and Moianès areas continues to hold the distinction of having won the most medals in Catalonia at these age-group championships.
This consistent success underscores the strength of judo training and talent development within the Bages and Moianès regions. The centre's ongoing commitment to nurturing young athletes positions them for continued strong performances in future national competitions, maintaining Catalonia's leading position in youth judo.
