A medal arrives from Warsaw (Poland). It's made of the most precious metal , gold, and once again, it bears the signature of Betty Vuk.
CUS Bologna is back on top of Europe (after the women’s gold in basketball and the men’s silver, also in the basketball world) thanks to Betty Vuk.
The Criminology student confirms herself as the best in the judo world and, under the guidance of her coaches, climbs once again to the top of Europe. For her, it’s the third time — needless to say, in as many appearances.
With this latest success, Betty moves from the news pages to legend status, because in an individual sport she is taking CUS Bologna and university judo to the highest level. She is part of the history of Italian university sport, and for CUS Bologna, she is already a legend.
"I think" — says Betty with the gold around her neck — "this was one of the hardest competitions of my life, not because of the technical or physical level of my opponents, but because of my own physical and mental condition. It was a fight against myself. I need some time to process the day. But I can’t help but thank CUS Bologna for the great opportunity and for the trust they placed in me in this attempt — successfully completed — to confirm myself once again."
Also happy is Fabio Fabbroni, judo team manager for CUS Bologna and head coach.
“It was a tough day for a result that was far from guaranteed,” says Fabbroni.
“Betty was coming back after a forced break and this was her return. Confirming yourself is never easy. But in the end, the gold came, along with a nice injection of confidence. Riccardo Bertolini started well, but then got a bit lost — a pity, because he could have made the top ten in his category. A different story for Giacomo Lodi (Sport Sciences), at his first European appearance: he fought a bit tense, and after a good start, he lost his edge. He’s under 21, a growing prospect. For the national university championships I chose to bet on a young team, and this will be the path that — I hope — will bear fruit starting from 2026. I thank Federico Panieri and the whole CUS Bologna for their support and the opportunity.”
Here is the opinion of Riccardo Bertolini (Pharmacy). “It was a race full of emotions: the level proved to be very high, just like in previous years. Breaking the ice at the first meeting was quite complicated, but then I felt better. The race didn't go as I hoped, but I found a good starting point to improve and correct several errors. I thank CUS Bologna for giving me this great opportunity and I can't wait to get back to training in view of the next races. I will come back stronger next year, aiming to improve the outcome!”.
Prestigious placings for taekwondo which was able to count on the excellent work of Silvia Lombardi, not only manager of the red and white group, together with Roberto Boghi, but also a young councilor CUS Bologna. Fifth place, in taekwondo for Laila Harti (Pharmaceutical Sciences). Here is Silvia Lombardi's opinion. “Although the medals didn't arrive, it was an excellent European championship. On the first day of the competition, Luca Ferella (Motor Sciences), a freestyler specialist, took to the field, but in this championship he got involved in the shape competition (poomsae). Excellent performance in the forms, which I hope can have served as a springboard for further international events. A hint of displeasure at the failure to place in freestyle, where our athlete was and within reach for the gold medal. I'm sure he will be able to make up for it. On the second day we see our fighters on the tatami. Laila Harti passes the first match well to lose against a strong Turkish athlete, unfortunately stopping in the quarter-finals, just like in the last CNU”.
And Laila Harti (Pharmaceutical Sciences)? “It was an intense contest, with the final chagrin of a quarterfinal loss to a top-flight opponent. I know I still have so much to work with, but I lived it lightly, and it was just what I needed. Sorry for the defeat, despite the result, bringing home this experience has enormous value. Even nicer to share it with the support of CUS Bologna, a team that makes everything special”. Ayoub Sadid (Motor Sciences) does not hide his satisfaction. “It was a great day of competition, I had a lot of fun and faced top-level opponents. Unfortunately I had to surrender to the winner of the category, but I leave the tatami aware that I gave everything. I would have preferred to conclude my sporting experience with CUS Bologna better by bringing another positive result back to my homeland, but I am happy with what I managed to give for this incredible team”.
The comment goes to Roberto Boghi. “It's right to start with what our expectations were. We know that the level of European poomsae is extremely competitive at the moment and for Luca reaching the podium would have been an excellent result. It's different in freestyle where we competed for the most precious medal: Luca starts among the favourites. Well it didn't go the way we wanted. In the poomsae competition, after reaching the quarterfinals with a beautiful passage to the next round, Luca had to give way to the reigning French European champion athlete. In the freestyle competition, an error (never made before) tarnishes a hitherto crystalline performance and drags him, in an instant, from the top of the rankings to fifth position. Well two final considerations are necessary. Luca comes from a prolonged period of physical problems that he struggled to deal with due to commitments with the National Poomsae and Freestyle Team and the National Demonstration Team. In fact, only in the last period has he managed to concentrate on his individual preparation and is still far from his real potential. Secondly, Luca is accustomed to tackling international competitions (European championships and world championships) as a team and this was one of his few experiences in singles. I hope that the trust that CUS Bologna has placed in him is the beginning of a path that can also take him high in singles during his university career. Finally, but not least, I would like to thank CUS Bologna for having hosted us (give me the term) in this beautiful and large family where sport and its noblest values can be felt. We are proud to be able to be part of this movement which is certainly also an inspiration for young people who follow from home”.
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