Matthias Casse finds the place of world n°1!

In the little game of musical chairs that Tato Grigalashvili and Matthias Casse play at the top of the world hierarchy of -81 kg, the Antwerper took over the throne from the Georgian thanks to his silver medal this Saturday, at Baku. Small consolation for Matthias, beaten in the final by an old acquaintance, Azeri Saeid Mollaei, who thus offered his adopted country a magnificent trophy.

At the end of a very balanced fight between these two judokas who had already met five times in the past, Mollaei defeated his great rival by turning him over with a movement on the ground that was more like wrestling than judo. Hard, hard for Matthias who previously had dismissed the Mongol Gereltuya and strangled the Moldovan Marian to reach the semi-finals. There, opposed to the Italian Gamba, the Antwerp native won by ippon, qualifying for his fifth final of the year! Tomb of the Hungarian Ungvari, Saeid Mollaei (30 years old / n ° 7) was waiting for him firmly in front of an audience completely committed to his cause.

Born in Iran, Mollaei was crowned world champion in 2018, but made headlines a year later in Tokyo when he revealed that he was forced by the Iranian authorities to lose his world semi-final against… Matthias Casse so as not to have to meet the Israeli Muki in the final.

He had left Iran and obtained Mongolian nationality, a country for which he became Olympic vice-champion last year, before opting for a passport from Azerbaijan, a nation where his main coach is a certain Mark Van. der Ham, who is none other than Casse’s former coach! In the genre “particular context”, we could not really imagine better, except the outcome in the Belgian clan.

Engaged in -73 kg, Malik Umayev offered himself a superb bronze medal, the second of his young Grand Slam career after that won in April, in Antalya, in… -81 kg. Despite two magnificent attacks, one after ten seconds and the other halfway through the fight, the 22-year-old from Liège had to wait until extra time to overcome the Uzbek Yuldoshev (27 years old / n° 9).

Previously, Malik got rid of Gambian Njie and Azeri Orujov before succumbing to another younger Azeri, Heydarov, European champion. Returned to repechage, Malik Umayev beat the Turkish Demirel to have the right to compete in the fight for bronze.

Two weeks after Abu Dhabi, Gabriella Willems has won another Grand Slam silver medal. Arrived in the -70 kg final against the Dutch Van Dijke (27 years old / n ° 2), the Liégeoise bowed on an unstoppable movement.

Previously, Gaby had started her career with a victory against the German Mehlau. Then, opposed to the Turkish Ogel, she had to try twice, on the ground, to overcome it. In the quarter-finals, she met the Croatian Cvjetko, vice-world champion, whom she swept away shortly after halfway to find, in the semi-finals, the Greek Teltsidou. The time for revenge had come and Gaby did not let the opportunity pass.