The Faro ‘Millennium Team’ Cadet European Cup 2026 maintained its momentum. The action matched the energy associated with Faro.
Brazil and Spain Take Centre Stage
Sunday presented a different picture after Italy’s dominance on the opening day. The Italian team managed to place only one athlete into a final, in the women’s +70 kg category.
Brazil became the standout nation in the medal contests, fielding four finalists in the women’s division and one in the men’s. Spain followed closely, with three male finalists and one female finalist competing for gold.
Lourenço’s Bronze for Portugal
For the home crowd, one of the defining moments belonged to Portugal’s Rita Lourenço in the -57 kg category. Her progress towards the title was halted in the quarter-final by Brazil’s Gabriela Pereira, who would ultimately take gold.
Lourenço demonstrated resilience, battling back with victories over two French opponents to secure a bronze medal after being dropped into the repechage.
“Judo is a physical sport but it is also very mental. An athlete being able to overcome themselves mentally is very important in order to score in contests following a defeat and manage to reach a medal,” said Lourenço. She added that “this medal is not only the result of my work. It is the result of the work of many people, both in training camps and at the club.”
Lourenço shared a heartfelt message: “Thank you very much. I don’t know how to thank everyone with words alone.”
Calero Claims Victory
Attention turned to Spain’s Pablo Fernandez Calero in the men’s competition. He claimed victory in the -90 kg category after growing stronger with every contest.
Despite a challenging start, the Spanish judoka found his rhythm: “I started a little badly. I did not feel comfortable with my judo. The first contest was very long and it was very difficult for me to win. The second was more of the same, although my judo was improving. In the semi-final and final, I felt very good, doing my judo.”
“The secret is to train, train and train, compete, and never stop until victory is achieved.”
His ambitions for the season are clear: “I hope to go to the cadet Europeans and the Worlds, and there the objective is to win a medal.”
Faro now begins to wave goodbye to the European cadet circuit after two days filled with high-level judo and emotional moments.