After a suspenseful and rare intensity Final Four, AC Boulogne-Billancourt clinched the national title in their very first Judo Pro League participation. A look back at a final stage that lived up to all its promises.  

The demonstration of Judo Nice Métropole 

The first match of the afternoon pitted RSC Montreuil, leader of the qualifiers, against Judo Nice Métropole, the only former winner still in contention. The duel quickly turned into a masterclass for the men from the French Riviera. Florine Soula (-70kg) gave Nice an ideal start by winning on the ground against Aleksandra Samardzic. Despite a superb equalizer from Montreuil's Lucas Duchaussoy (-90kg), who took down Georgian Soso Ebilashvili in thirty seconds, Nice then cruised to victory without conceding a single point. Grace-Esther Mienandi Lahou (+70kg) and Georgian Shalva Gureshidze (+90kg) sealed the deal, before Léa Métrot (-52kg) won in golden score. The final victories of Abdesalem Khiri (-66kg) and Ophélie Vellozzi (-57kg) sealed the score. In just seven fights, Nice booked their ticket to the final with a clear and resounding 6-1 victory.   

 

ACBB relied on «roulette»... 

The second semi-final between Arts Martiaux Saint-Gratien and AC Boulogne-Billancourt offered a radically different and nail-biting scenario. Saint-Gratien initially took the lead thanks to golden score victories by Dutchwoman Margit De Voogd (-70kg), over her compatriot Joanne Van Lieshout, who was crowned European champion in the -63kg category a month earlier, and by Jason Okoye (-90kg). Pushed to the wall, ACBB responded through their junior world champion Célia Cancan (+70kg) and the Ukrainian Yevheniy Balyevskyy in the heavyweight division, bringing the two teams back to a tie (2-2). After another back-and-forth – victories by Tatum Keem and Angelo Pantano for the Val-d'Oise team, answers from Haruka Funakubo, Eliot Prévé, and Sarah-Léonie Cysique for the Hauts-de-Seine team – the Swiss Aurélien Bonferroni secured the equalizer at 5-5. Ultimately, the «roulette» decided the decisive bout in the -57kg category. Unfazed by the pressure, Japanese athlete Haruka Funakubo scored a decisive waza-ari against Mailys Rozan, propelling ACBB to the final (6-5).   

 

… before showing his strength in the final 

A big hour after their qualification, ACBB faced Judo Nice Métropole for the grand finale, preceded by the conclusion of the kids' tournament that had kept the two thousand spectators present at the Dojo de Paris on the edge of their seats. For this showdown, which was also worth a spectacle in the stands between two raucous fan sections responding to each other, Nice had largely revamped its team, while Boulogne fielded an almost identical lineup, marked by the addition of the Ukrainian Anton Savytskiy, finalist of the last Paris Grand Slam in -100kg, in the heavyweight category. Nice captain Luca Otmane, placed in -90kg this time, was surprised from the start by the 2025 national medalist Yoann Benezra, but Nice immediately retaliated through Fanny-Estelle Posvite (+70kg), who defeated Célia Cancan with an arm lock. ACBB then took control authoritatively: Anton Savytskyy won with an o-uchi-gari against Shalva Gureshidze, and Léonie Gonzalez (-52kg), voted best judoka of the final, dominated Léa Métrot by immobilization to bring the score to 3-1. Driss Masson Jbilou (-66kg) did give Nice hope by containing Gabin Supervielle (3-2), but the Boulogne machine was in motion: Haruka Funakubo (-57kg) once again showcased her ground skills by inflicting a juji-gatame on Ophélie Vellozzi, followed two fights later by double French Olympic medalist Sarah-Léonie Cysique (-63kg), who made Rania Drid submit. This made the point lost by Eliot Prévé against Maxime Gobert in -73kg less significant, and only one more victory was needed to win (5-3). 

While Italian Antonio Esposito was defeated by Nice's Giorgi Chikhelidze in the -81kg category, it was ultimately Joanne Van Lieshout (-70kg) who delivered for her team by immobilizing Sweden's Ida Eriksson (6-4). For their first participation, AC Boulogne-Billancourt thus achieved the feat of securing the national title, thereby validating their precious ticket for the next Champions League, which will be held in France at the end of the year. A perfect conclusion for this fourth season, which has elevated this format to new heights of competition and spectacle.