Bellandi Achieves Judo's Rare Triple Crown While Pirelli Breaks Through in Tbilisi

Italy's Judo Team has secured 4 medals at the 2026 European Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, with double gold on the final day of competition marking a historic achievement for two of the nation's most accomplished martial artists. The victories propel Italy to 4th place in the overall medal standings and cement the country's position as a European judo powerhouse.

Why This Matters

• Alice Bellandi completes the Triple Crown — she now holds Olympic, World, and European titles simultaneously, a rare feat in judo.

• Gennaro Pirelli claims his first continental gold after years of Grand Slam success, defeating the Netherlands' Simeon Catharina in golden score drama.

• Italy finishes with 2 golds and 2 bronzes (Odette Giuffrida, -52 kg; Asya Tavano, +78 kg), underscoring the depth of the national program.

• The results arrive less than 5 months before the next Olympic qualification window closes, signaling strong form for Italy's elite judoka.

Bellandi Makes History with the Only Missing Piece

Alice Bellandi entered the -78 kg final in Tbilisi carrying the weight of expectation — and opportunity. The 27-year-old from Roncadelle, near Brescia, already owned Olympic gold from Paris 2024 and World Championship gold from Budapest 2025, but the European title had remained elusive. She changed that on Saturday evening, defeating England's Emma Reid with a decisive waza-ari scored in the closing seconds of regulation time.

The win completes Bellandi's career "Triple Crown" — a term reserved for judoka who hold Olympic, World, and European titles concurrently. It's a distinction achieved by only a handful of athletes in the sport's history, and it positions her as the undisputed leader in the -78 kg division heading into the 2027 World Championships in Tokyo.

Bellandi's international resume now spans every major podium. She claimed silver at the 2024 World Championships in Abu Dhabi and bronze in Doha 2023, before breaking through for gold in Hungary last year. At Grand Slam level, she's accumulated victories in Paris 2026, Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi, Budapest, and Baku, along with the 2022 World Masters title in Jerusalem. Her seventh-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the -70 kg category — a weight class she has since left behind — now feels like ancient history.

The European title had been the conspicuous gap: a silver in Montpellier 2023 and bronze in Sofia 2022 were respectable, but insufficient for someone of her caliber. That chapter is now closed.

Pirelli's Golden Score Triumph

Less than an hour after Bellandi's victory, Gennaro Pirelli delivered Italy's second gold of the evening in the men's -100 kg division. The 25-year-old Naples native, competing for G.S. Fiamme Oro (the Italian police sports group), outlasted Simeon Catharina of the Netherlands in a grueling final that extended into golden score — judo's sudden-death overtime format.

Pirelli's win is his first European Championship title, a breakthrough moment for an athlete who has spent years knocking on the door of continental glory. Just last year, he took bronze at the 2025 European Championships in Podgorica, and in 2024 he earned bronze in Zagreb. His consistency at Grand Slam level — including gold in Dushanbe 2024, silver in Tokyo 2024, and gold in Tokyo 2022 — had long suggested a major title was within reach.

The golden score victory in Tbilisi was a testament to conditioning and tactical discipline. Pirelli, who made his World Championships debut in 2023 and won the U23 European Championships in Budapest in 2021, is now positioned among Europe's elite heavyweights. He will look to carry this momentum into the Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam on May 8, 2026, where he is scheduled to compete.

Italy's Full Medal Haul in Tbilisi

Beyond the headline golds, Italy's Judo Federation left Georgia with two additional bronzes:

• Odette Giuffrida in the women's -52 kg category

• Asya Tavano in the women's +78 kg category

Carlotta Avanzato narrowly missed the podium, finishing 5th in the -63 kg division. The collective performance reflects the strength of Italy's development pipeline, with medals distributed across multiple weight classes and both genders.

What This Means for Italian Judo

For Italian fans and the national federation, the Tbilisi results represent more than just hardware. They validate years of investment in elite training infrastructure and coaching, much of it concentrated in the northern regions around Brescia, Turin, and Rome. The G.S. Fiamme Oro program, which supports Pirelli, has become a model for athlete development in Olympic sports.

Bellandi's Triple Crown is particularly significant for Italian women's judo. She joins a short list of Italian women to dominate on the global stage, and her success has inspired a new generation of young judoka in clubs across Lombardy and beyond.

For Pirelli, the European title removes a psychological barrier. He has the Grand Slam pedigree; now he has the continental credibility. His next target is clear: a World Championship medal in Tokyo 2027, and a strong showing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Looking Ahead

The 2026 European Championships conclude with Italy sitting comfortably in the top 5 of the medal table, a position that reflects the country's status as a consistent force in European judo. With Bellandi at the peak of her powers and Pirelli entering his prime, the next 18 months promise to be pivotal.

Both athletes are expected to compete in the upcoming Paris Grand Slam circuit and the World Championships in Tokyo next year, where Italy will aim to convert this European success into global podium finishes. For now, though, the celebrations in Tbilisi — and back home in Roncadelle and Naples — are well-deserved.