Liu Lu Secures Bronze Medal at Lausanne Judo Grand Slam

Liu Lu’s Path to the Lausanne Podium

Competing in Lausanne, Switzerland, Liu opened her tournament campaign in the D-group elimination rounds. She recorded victories over America’s Gariga, Russia’s Lishchenko, and France’s Eme to advance to the semi-finals. During her semi-final bout, Liu received a red card that eliminated her from the match but kept her eligible for the repechage system.

In the repechage bracket, Liu defeated France’s Eme with a score of 11s1 to 2s1, earning the right to contest for a medal. Facing Switzerland’s Phoaho in the bronze-medal playoff, Liu overcame an early deficit to secure the win.

The Bronze Medal Match Decisive Sequence

The 70kg bronze-medal contest between Liu and Phoaho saw rapid momentum shifts under IJF competition rules. Both competitors were issued yellow cards early in the bout. Phoaho struck first by scoring a waza-ari to take the lead. Liu responded by leveling the score before Phoaho registered another waza-ari to reclaim the advantage.

In the closing moments of the match, Liu executed an ippon throw to end the contest immediately and claim the bronze medal.

Understanding Judo Scoring: Ippon and Waza-Ari

Modern international judo competition relies on a streamlined scoring system governed by the IJF. The highest possible score is an ippon, which instantly concludes the match. An ippon is awarded when a competitor throws their opponent cleanly onto their back with force and control, or when a hold-down, strangle, or joint lock forces an opponent to submit by tapping out.

The secondary scoring tier is the waza-ari, awarded when a throw lacks the complete criteria for an ippon—such as the opponent landing largely on their back rather than squarely—or for maintaining a hold-down for a designated duration short of an ippon threshold. Accumulating two waza-ari scores in a single match automatically generates an ippon equivalent, concluding the bout immediately. Prior to 2017, the IJF utilized a lower “yuko” scoring tier, though modern major competitions exclusively employ ippon and waza-ari.

How the Repechage System Works

The tournament structure at IJF Grand Slam events utilizes a single-elimination format combined with a repechage bracket. Competitors are split into initial groups to contest preliminary rounds. Athletes who are defeated by eventual finalists in the main bracket enter the repechage rounds.

This secondary elimination bracket allows athletes who lost to top-performing opponents another pathway toward the podium. Winners of the repechage face the losing semifinalists in two separate bronze-medal matches, ensuring that athletes who stumble against eventual champions retain an opportunity to win a medal.