Emma Reid Secures Silver at the 2026 Senior European Championships

Emma Reid delivered a flawless performance on day four of the 2026 Senior European Championships in Tbilisi, securing silver and her first-ever medal at the event.

Reid (Redbridge JC) entered the -78kg category as the second seed and began her campaign in the round of 16 against Anna Kazakova (UKR). Setting the tone early, she scored waza-ari with an excellent ura-nage before securing ippon moments later with sankaku-gatame.

In the quarter-final, she faced Migle Julija Dudenaite (LTU) and continued her dominant form. Controlling the contest throughout, Reid progressed to the semi-finals with an ippon-winning juji-gatame.

Awaiting her in the semi-final was world number six, Paris 2024 Olympian and regular World Tour competitor Metka Lobnik (SLO). With a place in the final and a guaranteed medal on the line, Reid rose to the challenge in style. Just one minute into the contest, she once again showcased her strength on the ground, forcing Lobnik to submit with sankaku-gatame.

In the final, Reid faced world number two Alice Bellandi (ITA), the reigning Olympic and world champion and a multiple IJF World Tour gold medallist. Despite a strong effort from the Brit, it was the Italian who claimed gold on this occasion, leaving Reid to take a well-earned silver.

The result marks Reid’s first European Championships medal, improving on her previous best of fifth place in 2025. After narrowly missing out on the podium last year, she returns to the same stage to secure a major milestone in her career. It also builds on her recent form, having finished fifth at the Tbilisi Grand Slam last month in the same venue.

Speaking on the achievement, Emma said: “I’m very happy with my performance today, and it’s great to end the day with a medal.

It has been a tough and busy block at the start of this year, so it’s nice to see the hard work paying off with my first European Championships medal.”

A memorable achievement for Reid, and one she can be immensely proud of.

That concludes the 2026 Senior European Championships for the British team, with one silver medal, a fifth-place finish, a seventh-place result, and valuable experience gained against Europe’s best!

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