Japanese Athletes Shine with Three Gold Medals on First Day of Judo Grand Slam in Antalya, Turkey

Three gold medals for Japanese athletes on the first day of the Judo Grand Slam in Antalya, Turkey.

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Welcome to the magnificent coasts of Antalya, the pearl of the Turkish Riviera, which hosts the Grand Slam of Judo over the next three days.

In the first final of the day, in the under 48 kg category, the Turkish Sila Ersin came up against the queen of the category, the Japanese Natsumi Tsunoda who used his two signature moves – tomoe-nagi to waza-ari then arm lock – to achieve victory. A fantastic transition greeted by thunderous applause from the crowd.

Fatih Uysal, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, presented the medals.

Among those under 60 kg, Ayub Bliev faced Luka Mkheidze in a very physical encounter which ended in a golden score. Ayub Bliev who managed to defeat his opponent by scoring by ippon and won the gold medal.

Mohammed Meridja, IFJ Director of Education and Training, presented the medals.

The most popular fighter of the moment made her appearance in the under 52 kg category… Uta Abe, undefeated since 2019. Barely 10 seconds on the clock and the match was already over. Uta Abe is unstoppable. His presence was warmly welcomed by the locals.

IFJ Vice President Laszlo Toth presented the medals.

“It’s great, I hear the crowd’s voice and it makes me a little stronger, it definitely made me win today” Uta Abe exclaimed.

Hifumi Abe took the lead over her sister and also finished the -66 kg final quickly by beating Nurali Emomali by Ippon. The two Japanese reign supreme on the podium.

Juan Carlos Barcos, IFJ coordinator for international refereeing seminars, presented the medals.

“I’m very happy to see judo so popular here and all these people who came tonight. I’m very happy to see people supporting me in particular” said Hifumi Abe after his match.

The -57kg final was an all-Pan American clash. Canadian Christa Deguchi took on the challenge of Brazilian Jessica Lima, and the Canadian finally used O-uchi-gari to win gold! IFJ Sports Director Michael Tamura presented the medals.

2024-03-29 20:47:45
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