British judoka Emma Reid has claimed her first-ever European Championships medal, taking silver in the -78kg category in Tbilisi, Georgia. The 30-year-old athlete, who previously finished fifth in 2025, was defeated in the final by Italy's Alice Bellandi.
"I'm very happy with my performance, and it's great to end the day with a medal," said Reid, who also won bronze at the 2024 World Championships. "It has been a tough and busy block at the start of this year, so it's nice to see the hard work paying off with my first European Championships medal."
Reid demonstrated impressive technique throughout the competition. She secured victories in her last-16 and quarter-final matches using sankaku-gatame against Ukraine's Anna Kazakova and juji-gatame against Lithuania's Migle Julija Dudenaite, respectively.
In the semi-final, Reid guaranteed herself at least a silver medal by forcing Slovenia's Metka Lobnik to submit just one minute into their contest. This achievement marks a significant milestone for Reid, who was knocked out in the last 32 during her Olympic debut at Paris 2024.