Munkhzaya Tsedevsuren and Bundmaa Munkhbaatar make space for the future

Mongolian middle weight Munkhzaya Tsedevsuren and lightweight Bundmaa Munkhbaatar both day goodbye to her judo career. The 30-year old number five of the London Olympic Games and World Bronze medallist in 2015 U63kg will not continue her quest for Tokyo 2020, same for 31-year old Munkhbaatar.

Tsedevsuren's career started in the category U70kg where she was a promising junior in Asia in 2005, but since she switched category to U63kg she won her first Asian senior medal in 2009 when she was 22 years. Since then she won five World Cups, three in Ulaanbaatar and in Cairo and Sao Paulo. In 2015, her best year she won the Asian title in May, gold at the Grand Slam in Tyumen in July, followed by World bronze later that year in Astana.

At the London Games she lost her bronze battle against Yohie Ueno, but in Astana she defeated one of her most frequent and favourite opponents, Yarden Gerbi, in the bronze medal bout. Tsedevsuren competed at six World Championships since 2005 and two Olympic Games. In 2016 She won her first contest, but lost to Yang Junxia and finished ninth. After the Olympic Games she captured a bronze medal at the Grand Prix in Qingdao but now announced her retirement, not even a week after Sainjargal Nyam-Ochir retired and on the same day as Munkhbaatar Bundmaa announced her retirement as well.

Munkhbaatar who was bronze medalist at the 2010 World Championship in Tokyo represented Mongolia at U52kg for 10 years. Munkhbaatar won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2010 U52kg. She won the Universiade in Bangkok (Student World Championships) in 2007. Munkhbaatar claimed the gold at the Grand Slam in Paris in 2011 U52kg. In 2016 she won bronze at the Polish Open in Warsaw and won bronze at the Grand Slam in Baku.

The 31-year old is still ranked 17th in the World. She won 20 World Cup medals and booked victories since 2009 in Ulaanbaatar, four victories in 2011 of which Paris was her highlight, but also the Grand Slam in Moscow, Ulaanbaatar and GP Qingdao were memorable wins. In 2013 she booked the victory at the Grand Prix in Jeju. She fought at 8 World Championships including her bronze medal in 2010 and fought three matches at two Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012. Tsolmon Adiyasambuu (24) is her logical replacement.

Mongolian is building a new team with Dorjsuren and Munkhbat as World Ranking leaders, and still 8 judoka in the top 10 and 14 in the top 20. Most of them though are between 26 and 30. The youngest judoka in the top 30 are Tsogtbaatar Tsend-Ochir U60kg (28 and 20yrs) and Mungunchimeg Baldorj (30 and 22yrs), also fighting U63kg. However Tserennadmid Tsend-Ayush is the most likely number one in this category ranked 13th in the World.