Gaetane DEBERDT of France, hailing from the small village of Ambricourt, stood alone as the only European judoka to secure a gold medal on the opening day of the 42nd CISM World Military Judo Championships. Competing in the women’s -63kg category, Deberdt successfully defended her title from the previous year, triumphing once again on the world stage.
The spotlight was initially on current Olympic champion Andreja LEŠKI of Slovenia, who was heavily favored in the same division. However, Leški faced an early exit in golden score after a hard-fought battle against Gang KIM JIN of North Korea. With Leški out of contention, the division became more open, though the threat of Kim Jin remained, as she continued to dominate until her path to the podium was blocked by Austria’s Lisa GRABNER. Grabner secured a bronze medal for Austria, keeping Europe’s presence strong in the category. The second bronze went to VARGA Brigitta of Hungary, further emphasising Europe’s competitiveness in this weight class.
In the gold medal bout, Deberdt faced Nigina SAPARBAEVA of Uzbekistan at the Yunusobod Sports Complex. As the home crowd passionately backed their own, Deberdt had to overcome not only her opponent but also the intense atmosphere created by a crowd eager for another Uzbek victory. With two gold medals already in Uzbekistan’s tally, the pressure was immense, but Deberdt remained composed and delivered a stellar performance to secure her second consecutive world military judo title.
The overall medal table after day one is led by the host nation, Uzbekistan, with 2 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals (2-3-3). They are followed by Mongolia (2-2-0) and Kazakhstan (1-1-2). Five nations managed to claim a gold medal each on the first day of competition. As the individual competition heads into its final day, Deberdt’s gold was a shining moment for Europe amidst fierce global competition.
Author: Szandra Szogedi