The 32-year-old returned to the sport last year following a six-year break from competition.

Her comeback appears perfectly timed as Euranie, who represented France at Athens 2004, secued European bronze in Rijeka, Croatia, last year before adding gold at the Baku Grand Slam earlier this year.

Her successful streak continued on the opening day of the Zagreb Grand Prix, the first major International Judo Federation event since last month's World Championships in Chelyabinsk, as she defeated Portugal's European silver medallist Joana Ramos in the women's under 52 kilogram competition.

Bronze medals were won by Brazilian Almaty Grand Prix bronze medallist Raquel Silva, sister of Brazil's first female judo world champion Rafaela Silva, and Israel's Gili Cohen, following victories over Belgium's Ilse Heylen and Italy's Odette Giuffrida respectively.

Baku Grand Slam bronze medallist Laetitia Blot added a second French gold for the day as she edged a closely fought under 57kg contest with Hungary's Hedvig Karakas.

Blot is another French judoka finding brilliant form in the latter years of her career with the 31-year-old producing some of her best work in recent years.

Karakas secured bronze at her home Grand Prix in Budapest and, despite moving a step up the podium in Croatia, was once again left watching idly as the gold medal passed her by.

The under final was decided by a single shido penalty as the Hungarian was penalised for passivity with just 63 seconds left on the clock.

Bronze went to Serbia's Jovana Rogic, after she defeated Great Britain's Commonwealth Games champion Nekoda Smythe Davis, and Romania's Loredana Ohai following her victory over Slovenia's Vlora Bedeti.

Laetitia Blot doubled France's medal tally with a win in the under under 57kg contest ©IJF



There was more medal delight for Romania in the lightest women's contest, under 48kg, where Rome European Open silver medallist Monica Ungureanu took down Spain's Havana Grand Prix bronze medallist Julia Figueroa.

The Romanian controlled the competition within the first minute and eventually sealed the win with three scores to none.

Guinea-Bissau's double African champion Taciana Lima-Balde secured the first of the two bronze medals in this competition after disposing of former European silver medallist Valentina Moscatt of Italy, while the second bronze fell to Belgium's Charline Van Snick after her victory against Turkey's Ebru Sahin.

Van Snick was competing for the first time since the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS_ overturned a two-years drugs ban for cocaine she had received after testing positive at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro last year. 

The CAS accepted the claim from the London 2012 bronze medallist that she had been the victim of sabotage.

The first of the day's two men's categories saw Austria's Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist Ludwig Paischer return to the summit of the under 60kg division with a convincing win against Junior World bronze medallist Ahmet Sahin Kaba of Turkey.

The Austrian is 10 years the senior of his Turkish opponent yet proved he was far from ready to give up the ghost on his highly accomplished judo career as he secured a late ippon to claim gold in the Croatian capital.

Diego Santos added another medal for Brazil with victory in the first of the contest's bronze medal finals, while Spain's Francisco Garrigos secured the second.

Jasper Lefevere secured the final gold medal of the opening day as he smashed his previous best Grand Prix result of fifth ©IJF



The final gold of the day was picked up by Belgium's Jasper Lefevere as he smashed his previous best Grand Prix result of fifth, earned in Rijeka last year, to snatch gold from Russia's Alim Gadanov in the under 66kg category.

The contest lasted just 51 seconds as Lefevere recorded a ko-uchi-gari for ippon to seal the win.

Adrian Gomboc sealed the first of the bronze medals as he defeated compatriot Andraz Jereb in an all-Slovenian encounter, while the second bronze was won by Israel's Tal Flicker after he dispensed of Turkey's Sinan Sandal.

Competition continues inside the Dom Sportova arena tomorrow with competition from the men's under 73kg and under 81kg divisions and the women's under 63kg and under 70kg categories.

Watch the latest action on Judo TV here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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