José María Mendiola won the silver medal in the category of up to 81 kilos at the Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi after losing this Saturday in the final against Frenchman Nicolas Chilard. A final fight that was not resolved until the ‘golden technique’, in which the 26-year-old Navarrese succumbed to “ippon” after not being able to extricate himself from a strangulation by the French judoka. Mendiola climbed to the podium of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
The Spaniard, who this year had as his best result the two fifth places achieved last February at the Sarajevo and Warsaw Opens, started his contest in Abu Dhabi with a victory by ‘ippon’ over the German Schamil Dzavbatyrov. This victory was followed by those over the Belgian Sami Chouchi and the Ukrainian Sergii Krivchach that allowed him to secure a place in the semifinals, in which he defeated the Moldovan Mihail Latisev with two “waza-ari”.
The Navarrese could not extend the streak in the final against the Frenchman, who was also looking for his first gold medal in a Grand Slam. With the silver medal won by José María Mendiola, the Spanish team now has three in Abu Dhabi, after the gold achieved on Friday by Julia Figueroa in -48 kilos and the bronze won this Saturday by Salvador Cases in the category of up to 73 kilos .
