Lara Cvjetko wins gold in Qingdao: five victories and another strong step toward Los Angeles 2028
Lara Cvjetko won the gold medal in the under-70-kilogram category at the Grand Prix tournament in Qingdao, confirming that even at the beginning of the new Olympic qualification cycle she remains among the most consistent names in world judo. The Croatian national team member and member of Judo Club Solin in China, according to the report of the International Judo Federation, came through an exceptionally demanding part of the draw and ended the day on the top step of the podium. In the final she defeated Tamara Lishchenko, a representative competing under the RUS designation, after a bout in which her opponent took an early lead, but Cvjetko, with patient pressure, reversed the rhythm of the contest and reached gold after her rival received a third penalty. She thus finished the tournament with five victories, and the result is especially important because it followed on from the bronze won a week earlier at the Grand Slam in Ulaanbaatar.
The Qingdao Grand Prix is being held from 26 to 28 June 2026 in eastern China, and according to official IJF data it gathered 500 female and male competitors from 57 countries on five continents. In the women’s under-70-kilogram category, 43 judokas were entered, which made Cvjetko’s path to gold valuable both in terms of results and competition. In its official overview of the tournament, the IJF states that 235 female judokas and 265 male judokas competed in Qingdao, and the under-70-kilogram category was scheduled for the second competition day. For Cvjetko, this was her second major international result within eight days and the continuation of a run with which she strengthened her position at the top of the world.
A final turned around by pressure, not by one big throw
The final bout in Qingdao was neither simple nor linear in terms of the score. According to the IJF report, Lishchenko entered her first Grand Prix final without visible nerves and very quickly created a lead of two yuka. Such a development of the bout could have opened space for controlling the final, but Cvjetko gradually took the initiative, imposed her grip and pushed her opponent into an increasingly defensive rhythm. As the bout went on, Lishchenko was less and less able to build a quality attack, and the penalties began to accumulate. The third shido marked the end of the contest and brought Cvjetko the gold medal at one of the first important stops on the road toward the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.
After the final, according to the IJF publication, Cvjetko expressed satisfaction with the gold and the Olympic qualification points won, but also admitted that the final bout was not her best performance. She stressed that she remained calm after falling behind on the scoreboard, relied on her grip and continued to create pressure until her opponent received the third penalty. She also particularly singled out how she felt physically during the day, saying that after problems with the time difference following the Mongolian tournament, she felt better in Qingdao. That detail is important because the Asian tour included rapid adjustment, travel and appearances at two tournaments in a short period.
A difficult path through the draw and victories over strong opponents
Cvjetko reached the final through a series of victories that confirmed the breadth of her repertoire. According to a Hina report published in Sportske novosti, in the first round she defeated the Chinese representative Wenbo Hu by ippon, and then beat Slovenia’s Kaja Schuster. In the quarter-final, with another ippon, she stopped Brazil’s Nauana Silva, which earned her a semi-final against Miriam Butkereit of Germany, the Olympic finalist from Paris 2024. The IJF states that this very semi-final bout was one of the key points of the category because Butkereit had reached it after victories over very strong opponents, including Austrian Olympic medallist Michaela Polleres and Georgia’s Nino Gulbani.
The semi-final, according to the IJF, was long and decided by penalties, and Cvjetko once again showed in it the ability to remain focused in bouts that are not resolved quickly. That victory carried additional weight because only a week earlier Butkereit had been her opponent in the bronze medal contest at the Grand Slam in Ulaanbaatar. In both contests, Cvjetko emerged as the winner, which is important in the context of the under-70-kilogram category, one of the most competitive women’s divisions on the World Judo Tour. In Qingdao, Butkereit ultimately won bronze, while the second bronze medal went to Aleksandra Andrić of Serbia.
A second medal in two weeks and the continuation of the fight for an Olympic quota
The triumph in China came immediately after the bronze medal at the Grand Slam in Ulaanbaatar, the first tournament that opened the collection of points in the new Olympic cycle. In its report from Mongolia, the IJF stated that Cvjetko won bronze in the under-70-kilogram category by defeating Miriam Butkereit, after the German judoka received a third penalty. In the final standings of that Grand Slam, ahead of Cvjetko were Japan’s Shiho Tanaka, Australia’s Aoife Coughlan and the Netherlands’ Sanne van Dijke, while Cvjetko shared third place with Van Dijke. For an athlete who in Ulaanbaatar went through the repechage and then a week later won a Grand Prix, such continuity confirms a high level of preparedness.
According to the Croatian Olympic Committee, the bronze in Ulaanbaatar was won on 20 June 2026 and represented an important start in collecting points for Los Angeles 2028. Sportske novosti, citing Hina, stated that this result brought 500 points, while the gold in Qingdao brought Cvjetko another 700 points. According to the athlete’s profile on the IJF website, after Qingdao Cvjetko was ranked third on the senior world ranking list in the under-70-kilogram category with 4600 points. Such a position does not automatically guarantee an Olympic appearance because the qualification period lasts two years, but it significantly confirms her status in the opening phase of the race.
The European Judo Union states in its guide to qualification for Los Angeles 2028 that the qualification period runs from 15 June 2026 to 12 June 2028 and that most Olympic places will be awarded through the IJF Olympic ranking list. According to the same source, a direct quota goes to the 17 best-ranked female and male athletes in each weight category, with a limit of one competitor per country in the same category. The system additionally includes continental quotas, invitations connected with the team competition, a host quota for the United States of America and universality places. That is why early results, especially medals at Grand Slam and Grand Prix tournaments, are important not only because of ranking but also because of the possibility of planning the rest of the season.
Qingdao as an important stop after missing Paris
In the statement reported by the IJF, Cvjetko connected the result in Qingdao with her long-term goal, an appearance at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028. She said that missing the Games in Paris 2024 had made Los Angeles her most important sporting goal and that every training session is directed toward that path. In the same context, she mentioned that she does not feel pressure because of the success of Barbara Matić, the Olympic champion from Paris, but that she sees her success as a strong inspiration. Such a statement additionally shows how important the under-70-kilogram category is in Croatian judo, but also how dense the competition is on the international scene.
Qingdao also has special competitive symbolism for Cvjetko. According to the IJF, after the final she said that this was her second consecutive Grand Prix gold in that Chinese city. The fact is valuable because it shows that the conditions and type of tournament suit her, but also that she manages to return to the same place with an equally high standard of results. For a judoka who in recent seasons has regularly appeared in the final stages of strong competitions, continuity is perhaps the most important indicator of form. In an Olympic cycle that rewards the collection of points over a longer period, the ability to win medals on different continents has special value.
The competition confirms the weight of the under-70-kilogram category
The women’s under-70-kilogram category has in recent years been one of the most demanding on the World Judo Tour because world, European and Olympic medallists often meet in it. The tournament in Qingdao confirmed that once again. In the upper half of the draw, according to the IJF, Australia’s Aoife Coughlan had a strong performance, having also reached the final a week earlier in Mongolia, but her run was stopped by Aleksandra Andrić. Tamara Lishchenko then defeated Andrić in the semi-final and booked a final against Cvjetko. In the lower half of the draw, Cvjetko had to get past opponents who had the quality for the final stages, and the semi-final against Butkereit was a test of experience and patience.
In the IJF final standings for Qingdao in the under-70-kilogram category, Cvjetko finished first, Lishchenko second, and the bronze medals were won by Miriam Butkereit and Aleksandra Andrić. This means that the tournament winner left behind opponents from different judo schools, with different tactical styles and experience at the biggest competitions. In a sport in which one penalty, one wrong entry or one lost grip exchange can change an entire day, such an outcome speaks of stability under pressure. Cvjetko did not reach gold only through attractive solutions, but also through the ability to manage a bout when the score does not develop ideally.
Iva Oberan fifth in Qingdao, other members of the Croatian team also competed
In the Croatian team on the second day of the Qingdao Grand Prix, Iva Oberan stood out in the under-63-kilogram category. According to the Hina report, Oberan reached the bronze medal contest after victories over Kerem Primo of Israel, Gaetane Deberdt of France and Thauany David Capanni Dias of Italy, while in the semi-final she was stopped by Japan’s Narumi Tanioka. In the bronze medal contest, Germany’s Friederike Stolze was better, taking victory in golden score. Oberan thus finished fifth and, according to the same report, won 252 points on the IJF world ranking list.
Nina Simić in the same competition, according to the Hina report, recorded a victory over Morocco’s Chaimae Taibi and then a defeat by Narumi Tanioka. In the men’s under-73-kilogram competition, Robert Klačar was defeated in the first round by Britain’s Ethan Nairne. On the final day of the tournament, 28 June 2026, appearances in the higher categories were announced for Zlatko Kumrić, Mikita Sviryd, Petrunjela Pavić, Karla Kulić, Helena Vuković and Tina Radić. This schedule shows that Qingdao was part of a broader Asian tour for the national team, in which Cvjetko’s result carries the greatest weight, but also further raises the importance of each following appearance for the ranking lists.
A result that changes season planning
After the gold in Qingdao, the emphasis, according to the words of selector Dragan Crnov reported by Hina, shifts to preparations and the continuation of the season. Crnov highlighted his satisfaction with Cvjetko’s performance, especially because of the five victories and the points on the Olympic ranking list, and stressed that one of the goals of the Asian tour had been to collect enough points so that the preparation plan could be carried out more calmly. According to the same report, the focus of the season remains on the Mediterranean Games and the World Championships in Baku, which shows that Qingdao is not being viewed as an isolated success, but as part of a broader sporting plan.
For Cvjetko, the Chinese gold is therefore valuable on several levels. It brought a medal, points, confirmation of form after the Mongolian Grand Slam and a psychological advantage in direct contests with opponents who will probably have an important role during the Olympic cycle. In a sport in which qualifications stretch almost until the summer of 2028, early results do not close the race, but they create a safer foundation for choosing tournaments, timing form and preparing for the biggest competitions. Cvjetko showed in Qingdao that she can win even when she is not leading, that she can withstand difficult closing stages and that in the under-70-kilogram category she remains one of the athletes by whom the world elite is measured.
Sources:
- International Judo Federation – official overview of the Qingdao Grand Prix 2026, data on dates, location, number of competitors, countries and categories (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on the final of the under-70-kilogram category in Qingdao, the course of the bouts, statements by Lara Cvjetko and the final standings (link)
- International Judo Federation – Lara Cvjetko’s profile with the latest results and position on the world ranking list (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on the under-70-kilogram category at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2026 and Lara Cvjetko’s bronze (link)
- European Judo Union – guide to the qualification system for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and key qualification dates (link)
- Sportske novosti / Hina – report from Qingdao with data on Lara Cvjetko’s bouts, appearances by Iva Oberan, Nina Simić and Robert Klačar, and reactions from the Croatian team (link)
- Croatian Olympic Committee – announcement on Lara Cvjetko’s bronze medal at the Grand Slam in Ulaanbaatar (link)