Brazilians Jessica Pereira and William Lima get the gold in their respective categories.
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is a city of contrasts. A modern metropolis with a rich history and culture. From its medieval streets and monuments to its contemporary architecture and vibrant nightlife, and judo makes Zagreb its home this weekend.
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But first, 600 children from all over Croatia attended a judo training camp in Zagreb led by Majlinda Kelmendi and Hedvig Karakas. They taught young fans the fundamentals of judo in a safe environment, developing important life skills such as self-control, courage and respect. An experience that young judokas will not forget.
The Arena Zagreb was packed to see Mireia Lapuerta Comas win her first gold medal on the World Judo Tour in the -48 kg category. She defeated the experienced Milica Nikolic, scoring two waza-aris.
The General Secretary of the International Judo Federation, Dr. Lisa Allan, presented the medals.
“It’s amazing, I didn’t expect it when I came out, it was like, wow, so many people in this crowd. It was so, so good, really. When I was younger, not that many years ago, I just dreamed about this and now I’m here, It’s like a dream, really, I’m very happy,” said Comas.
At -60kg, Dilshot Khalmatov attacked hard throughout their bout, ultimately clinching a tactical victory to clinch the gold medal in front of the home crowd.
Dr. Antonio Castro, ambassador of the Federation, delivers the medals.
In the -52kg category, Brazil’s Jessica Pereira, in fantastic form, landed a gold-medal waza-ari in the final in Zagreb, and the judo fans in the audience were jubilant.
The medals were awarded by the IJF Refereeing Supervisor, Mr. Carlo Knoester.
At -66kg another Brazilian, Willian LIMA was on a roll all day, and after an incredible semifinal he entered the gold medal match with confidence. In the end, he scored a tactical victory. His first gold medal on the world circuit and the fans were delighted to meet one of his heroes.
The IJF Director of Refereeing, Mr. Armen Bagdasarov, presented the medals.
“Zagreb is amazing for me, because here I got my first gold medal of the European Cup in cadets. This is my second gold medal here in Zagreb. People have good memories of this place and now, for the second time, I come back to be very happy in Zagreb.”
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At -57kg, Marica Perisic performed an unusual sacrifice technique and went straight down to clinch the ippon and gold medal. It was the first Grand Prix gold for the Serb after her Grand Slam success earlier this year in Tbilisi.
The IJF Director of Refereeing, Florin Daniel Lascau, was in charge of presenting the medals.
Thus ended the first day of the 2023 Zagreb Grand Prix. The children have loved cheering on their favorite athletes and we can’t wait to see what the next two days bring.
2023-08-18 22:34:20
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