Mario Hodžić was left without a medal in Poreč

Montenegrin karate player Mario Hodžić failed to win a bronze medal at the European Championship - in the match for third place and a bronze medal in the category up to 75 kilograms, he was defeated by the German Noah Bich 3:0.

On Wednesday, the first day of the competition, the Montenegrin karate beat the Portuguese Tomas Silva 1:0 and the Swiss Kenny Katin 1:0 in the first two rounds, while in the third he was defeated by his idol, the legendary Azerbaijani Rafael Agayev 4:2.

The multiple European and world champion, by placing in the final, enabled Hodžić to have a repechage and continue the fight for a medal.

At the start, he eliminated Cypriot Panajotis Loizides 2:1, while in the second round he won against Austrian Luka Rettenbacher 3:0 and won the medal match. Hodžić has two European medals in his career - bronze from Kočelj in 2017 and silver two years later in Guadalajara.

He also won a silver medal at the European Games in Minsk.

"We regret Mario's result, because he deserves a medal, but the injuries that followed him from the beginning of the preparations and during the championship, affected him not to give more in the match for the third place," said Dragoljub Fatić, director of the national team, to the Mina agency.

Tomorrow, the last day of the competition, the men's team will face the host Croatia in the final.

Mario Hodžić, Nenad Dulović, Nikola Malović, Predrag Smolović, Balša Miličković and Andrija Fatić will fight for the first gold senior medal at the continental championships of the Montenegrin karate team.

"We have problems with injuries, the doctor of the national team, Perica Maraš, has a lot of work to do. I am sure that all those who will be able to perform will do their best to represent Montenegrin karate and the country of Montenegro in a dignified manner," Fatić said.

He believes that the two medals at the European Championship are a great success for Montenegrin karate and all those who work in it.