Margaux Pinot will not add a third European crown to her collection, after those won in 2019 and 2020. While she nevertheless remained on two convincing performances in 2024 with a 3rd place during the Grand Slam in Paris and a final – lost against the German Miriam Butkereit – at that of Tashkent, the French representative in less than 70kg lost as soon as she entered the competition against the Italian Irène Pedrotti during the European Championships organized in Zagreb.
A defeat difficult to accept for Margaux Pinot against an opponent who did not show much in terms of judo, but who was able to take advantage of the penalties inflicted on the Frenchwoman to win the golden score. Severe penalties for at least two of them, which changed nothing for the resident of Red Star de Montreuil, eliminated early from a European Championship during which she hoped to forget, at least in part, her non-selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Failure.
In the under 63kg category, that of Clarisse Agbégnénou preserved from this trip to Croatia, Manon Deketer made her return to major competition after an absence of around a year, following a knee injury suffered during the French Championships by teams in Laval. A return without spark, with a victory in the 2nd round against the Russian Kamila Badurova followed by a defeat against the Croatian Katarina Kristo, 20th in the world and finalist in Paris at the beginning of February against Clarisse Agbegnenou. Nothing disappointing or exceptional for the world bronze medalist in 2022 who still remains quite far from her best level.
