Katharina Haecker takes the honours for Australia

If the first day of competition had been dominated by Japan and Korea with two gold medals each, this second day was marked by the domination of European countries (Gold medal for Great Britain, Italy and Russia) while the Australian anthem also resounded in the stadium with the magnificent victory of Katharina Haecker who won the first ever IJF World Tour title for her country.

While the number one seed, Martyna Trajdos (GER), did not reach the final, defeated by the Australian, Katharina Haecker, the first final of the day saw the latter and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (CAN), already 10 times on a podium of a World Judo Tour event, to oppose for the gain of the gold medal. It took less than a minute for Katharina Haecker to leave Tel Aviv covered in gold. Immediately in action from the first hajime, she took control of the final by scoring a first waza-ari on o-soto-otoshi immediately followed by an immobilization for ippon. It is the first gold medal in Grand Prix for the Australian.

The first bronze medal contest of the category saw Renata Zachova (CZE) and Alexia Castilhos (BRA) facing for a place on the podium. Alexia Castilhos quickly took the lead with a first waza-ari. Zachova had to take all the risks, while Castilhos was just waiting for the counterattack. And the Czech's strategy paid off as she scored a beautiful ippon with a powerful sode-tsuri-komi-goshi.

In the second bronze medal contest, Anriquelis Barrios (VEN) was opposed to Martyna Trajdos (GER). Disappointed after her loss in the semifinals, Trajdos started the match at a high pace, but very concentrated, Barrios avoided the first attacks of the German. From that moment, the contest seemed to balance out, until Trajdos finally found a first opening on a front-back action-reaction, for a Waza-ari. She completed the scoreboard a few seconds later with a ko-uchi-gari for a second Waza-ari, to win the bronze medal.