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Another IJF World Judo Tour event means another medal for Ayumi LEIVA SANCHEZ (ESP). Since her debut on the circuit in the Antalya Grand Slam 2024, she has missed out on the podium only once, and today collected her sixth tour medal, a silver in Tashkent. The U23 European Champion has had to settle for bronze in Paris and more recently in Baku, but today she insured the team for a medal by taking her place in the final of the -52kg category. Unfortunately the semi final was against Valencia team mate, Mireia LAPUERTA COMAS (ESP), however they both ended up celebrating on the podium.
Top seed of the -48kg category, Sabina GILIAZOVA (IJF) suffered a quarter final defeat meaning she needed to climb back through the repechage, and she didn’t give her opponents an inch. In the bronze medal contest with Akhliya MUMINOVA (TJK), she scored a yuko within the first minute, and then a short time later committed with seoi otoshi to score the ippon and take her Grand Slam medal. Team mate, Irina ZUEVA (IJF), also managed to walk away with a bronze but in the -57kg category. Facing Faiza MOKDAR (FRA) is always a tough feat, and as it stood before today, the record was 1-0 to the French athlete. It looked like Mokdar might double her wins as she worked her way in ne waza, but in a shocking turn of events, Zueva anticipated the roll and instead secured the osaekomi, though only long enough to score yuko and enough to win the medal.
On the other side of the draw, Timna NELSON-LEVY (ISR) repeated her Paris success and claimed another Grand Slam medal, this time she swiftly made her way to the medal against Brazil’s Jessica LIMA, only 30 seconds had passed in the medal contest before securing her medal with a colossal tsuri goshi.
As for the men, it was a double gold success for the IJF athletes, Ayub BLIEV and Ramazan ABDULAEV. Bliev took fifth place in this tournament in 2024, but on this occasion came in as the top seed and ready to place himself on top of the podium. It was a win by ippon in every round for the WRL #9, and of course in the final he continued his stream against Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE), countering a kata guruma attempt. For Abdulaev it was a tense final, going against the home representative, Zamohshari BEKMURODOV (UZB) in a very supportive arena. It was a bittersweet ending for Bekmuradov, though he managed to fight his way to the final in front of the home crowd, he was unable to have his national anthem play ad Abdulaev secured osaekomi in just over a minute before getting the submission.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen