Having won her country’s first world championship title just three weeks ago, an historic victory that reverberated throughout the region, Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UAE) stepped on to her home tatami with her shiny new red back patch in clear view. As the number one seed and with the world championship crown in her kit bag, she was an obvious target for the rest but she held firm and won her way through to the final, again. To win gold in the Emirates would be a spectacular way to close the tournament for the host nation. Let’s see…
Elsewhere, at +78 kg, all 4 of the top seeds made their mark, moving into the final block with little to hold them back. Top seed Raz Hershko (ISR), a world and Olympic medallist, was tactically superior to all opposition, winning with intelligence and focus. She will face Helena Vukovic (CRO) in the final, an active adversary who presents considerable challenge.
Italy’s dynamic duo, Asya Tavano and Erica Simonetti, will each fight for bronze, offering the potential for all 4 of the highest ranked athletes to step up on to the podium at the end of the day.
Italy features at -90 kg too, with a derby for one of the two bronze medals, Kenny Komi Bedel and Christian Parlati, clubmates as well as national teammates, preparing to engage in the final block.
With top seed Nemanja Majdov (SRB) out of the running in the early rounds, at the hands of Joao Segatelle (BRA), who eventually lost to Parlati, a more open path appeared in the group and the finalists that stopped uo to the plate were Ivaylo Ivanov (BUL) and Mihail Latisev (MDA). Majdov has been in good form for some time but today was not his day and several judoka capitalised on his absence.
At -100 kg, the big news came from France’s Aurelien Diesse. Ranked 129th in the world, he stirred the category with an excited style and some big throws. He has just one previous podium finish at grand slam level, a bronze in Baku in 2023, but in Abu Dhabi he reached the final after dispatching top seed Simeon Catharina (NED) in golden score.
The last category of the day, the men’s heavyweight contingent, saw Ushangi Kokauri carry some momentum in his pocket after winning a world championship medal just three weeks ago. Beginning the day at the top of the draw, he looked confident and robust as he defeated one rival after another. He will face a big challenge in the final as Irakli Demetrashvili awaits him, a rising name in the category.
The final block will begin at 6pm local time and all contests can be followed on JudoTV.com, as always.