At the European Karate Championships

Topalovic retains silver after a heart-stopping finish

European Championship silver for Lejla Topalovic.(Bild: EKF)

Karate ace Lejla Topalovic's run of success only came to an end in the final fight of the European Championships in Croatia. The Salzburg native, who competes for Wels, was even in the lead until 1.6 seconds before the end. In the end, however, the 23-year-old "only" won the silver medal. 

With 1.6 seconds to go, karateka Lejla Topalovic thought she was the new European champion in kumite up to 61 kilograms. The Salzburg native, who competes for Karate-do Wels, had already taken a 5:2 lead in the final in Zadar, Croatia. But her opponent, Ingrida Bakos from Slovakia, struck coldly. Topalovic initially conceded the equalizer, but 0.7 seconds before the end she conceded the decisive 5:6. Bakos celebrated winning European Championship gold for the second time since 2022. For Topalovic there was "only" silver. 

The disappointment shortly after the end was huge. "Everything worked out for me in the final, but I made a few small mistakes at the end. That hurts, so I can't be happy about it at the moment," explained Topalovic after the award ceremony. 

"Perfect path to the final"
Her coaches naturally saw things differently. National coach Juan Luis Benitez Cardenes emphasized: "Lejla controlled and dominated the final. Due to a lack of clarity regarding the competition time in the video protest, the fight was decided at the last second to her disadvantage. However, the perfect path to the final should be emphasized with only three goals against and a victory against the reigning world champion."

Sports Director Christian Grüner and Team Manager Andreas Moser were delighted with the athlete: "Lejla didn't lose gold, she won silver."