Israeli judoka wins bronze in European championships

Israeli judoka Gili Cohen won the bronze medal in her weight class on Thursday at the European Judo Championships in Montpelier, France.

Cohen, weighing in at 52 kilograms (115 pounds), defeated Russian Yulia Rizova in a consolation round on the first day of competition to claim the bronze medal. The tournament runs from April 24-27.

In recent years Israel has become a force in international judo, particularly for women. Cohen and fellow Israeli Roni Schwartz won bronze medals at last year’s Moscow Grand Slam, an event which saw the Jewish state come away with five medals in total.

In addition to Cohen, Israel has several other competitors participating in the European championships, including Yarden Gerbi, who last year claimed gold medals at both the Moscow Grand Slam and the World Judo Championships, held in Brazil.