Two more medals for the Italian team engaged in Kazakhstan which, at this point, has moved to first place in the Grand Slam medal table Astana.
Manuel Lombardo won the 73 kg gold medal and Kim Polling the bronze in the 70, kg on this second day and, for the twenty-five year old from Turin, it is the fourth success in a Grand Slam, which adds to those of Abu Dhabi 2019, Antalya 2023 and Tashkent 2024.
Five victories for him, all very clear, over Darkham Koibagar (Kaz), Alexander Bernd Gabler (Ger), Joshua Green (Irl), Vusal Galandarzade (Aze) and in the final over the Russian Danil Lavrentev (Ain).
“A smiling, happy and very strong Manuel, this is the report of today and the medal won. -is the coach’s statement Pierangelo Toniolo– We need positivity in sport, but we need it even more in these 76 days that distance us from Paris 2024. And today we saw a very positive Manuel. All important ingredients in the road we are on. Now a little rest and then we’ll start again.”
For the thirty-three-year-old debutant in the blue jersey Kim Polling, however, the medal placed around her neck in Astana is the first for Italy, but the fifteenth medal in a Grand Slam of an incredible career. Followed by Francesco Bruyere, Kim Polling overtook Ida Eriksson (Swe), Hilde Jager (Ned) and after the defeat due to immobilization with Tais Pina (Por), she won with Laerke Olsen (Den) and Eliza Wroblewska (Pol).
“I’m really very happy and relieved,” she said Kim Polling– because I really didn’t want to make a fool of myself today and now I can say that yes, it went well and I’m happy! Of course it would have been better with gold, but that’s okay. And it also went well with Frà (Francesco Bruyere, ed.), not that I had any doubts, but it was the first time that she followed me in the race and also in this case the understanding worked wonderfully”.
“I would say the first one was good… – is the comment of Francesco Bruyere– This new adventure is giving Kim a contagious enthusiasm which today helped her face the race in the best possible way. The mocking draw immediately put her to the test against a Dutch athlete but she responded with a classy routine. She only made a small naive mistake in the quarterfinals, but from what I saw I’m sure she could have won today. Kim is a true professional, from the top of her palmares she arrived in our national team in a humble way and with a lot of respect for everyone and for the work we do, she immediately made herself available by listening to advice to try to find a winning connection in the most short time as possible. Kim is a champion and we will do great things. I would like to thank my brother Alessandro and the entire Torino Academy for the excellent work they have done with Kim over these 8 years.”
In the 63 kg, Flavia Favorini was defeated in the first round by the Russian Dali Liluashvili (Ain) and Savita Russo by the Russian Kamila Badurova (Ain), while in the 70 kg Irene Pedrotti, opposite the English Kelly Petersen Pollard (Gbr), received a sumi gaeshi’s wazari in the golden score and did not make it past the first round.
In the 73 kg Manuel Parlati had no difficulty overtaking the Saudi Sulaiman Hamad (Ksa) and the Azerbaijani Rashid Mammadaliyev (Aze) before giving way to Karim Abdulaev (UAE).
In the 81 kg, victory in the first round for Bright Maddaloni Nosa with two wazari over the Moldovan Mihail Latisev (Mda) and then the defeat against the Swiss Aurelien Bonferroni (Sui) by hansokumake (diving).
Tomorrow the third and final day with the heaviest categories and the Italians Giorgia Stangherlin in the 78 kg and Jean Carletti in the 100 kg.
>>> SECOND DAY RESULTS
2024-05-11 14:32:41
#Lombardo #gold #Astana #bronze #debut #Kim #Polling
