Prishtina, Kosovo – The excitement in the air was palpable on Day 3 of the IFMA European Championships 2024, as the semi-finals unfolded with fierce competition. Athletes from Ukraine, Croatia, Finland, Poland, Turkey, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, France, EMR, Israel, Kosovo, Greece, Czech Republic, and Belgium fought tenaciously for a place in the finals.
Ukraine and Turkey emerged as the day’s most successful teams, each securing four out of six wins.
Upsets of the Day:
- Rising star Gianluca Franzosi from Italy triumphed in a thrilling, nail-biting battle against seasoned European Games and FISU gold medalist, Oleksandr Yefimenko.
- Multiple IFMA gold medalist and World Combat Games gold medalist, Kubra Kocakus from Turkey faced a surprising defeat at the hands of Poland’s Adriana Plachta.
- The promising Maxim Branis from Israel edged out the talented Norbert Speth from Hungary, an Arafura Games gold medalist and World Games bronze medalist.
Home Team Highlights:
- Lorik Mehmeti and Erdonit Alija from Kosovo delivered two of the most exciting matches of the day, igniting the local crowd with their performances.
Match of the Day:
- One of the most exhilarating matches saw Slovakia’s Adrian Ertel face off against EMR’s Anton Podhornyi. EMR’s timing and length won him the first two rounds, but Ertel’s determination shone through in the final round, delivering two standing 8 counts to Podhornyi. Despite the pressure, Podhornyi held on just long enough to secure the win and advance to the finals.
Congratulations to all the athletes who made it to the finals! Stay tuned on ifmalive.com and IFMA Facebook for updates on Gold Medal Day of the U23 Divisions.
