Shishime Toru claims Grand Prix title in China

Shishime Toru of Japan struck in the men’s lightest weight category as he won his third Grand Prix title. Baku Grand Slam winner and Former Paris Grand Slam winner Shishime, 25, is ninth in the world but has two Japanese judokla in front of him with Takato Naohisa second in the world and Nagayama Ryuju sixth with the latter duo both receiving the nod for Budapest.

Shishime defeated world number eight Dashdavaa Amartuvshin (MGL) by ippon with a piece of ashi-waza to remain a dependable choice for his country and earn future selections in the second half of the year. The Japanese judoka led by a waza-ari from a yoko-otoshi and added the finishing touches by ippon and can be expected to reappear at the Tokyo Grand Slam in December if not before.

In the first semi-final Dashdavaa saw off European champion Robert Mshvidobadze (RUS) by a waza-ari after 31 seconds of golden score.

In the second semi-final Shishime downed Ekaterinburg Grand Slam bronze medallist Albert Oguzov with a clinical display. The Japanese judoka scored two waza-ari without reply as he made good on his attacking threats to advance into the final.

The first bronze medal was won by former world champion Ganbat Boldbaatar (MGL) who surpassed Oguzov by a waza-ari score from a yoko-otoshi. The Mongolian’s form has been indifferent since he won the Worlds in 2014 but has now surely done enough for selection to judo’s annual showpiece in August while Oguzov will be highly-disappointed with his fifth-place and may miss out on a date in Hungary. 

The second bronze medal was won by Mshvidobadze who defeated Asian Championships silver medallist Mohammad Rashnonezhad (IRI) to stake his claim for Worlds selection. Russia have a glut of riches in every weight category and Mshvidobadze had to medal here to maintain his bid while Rashnonezhad is the latest name from Iran who is making an impression at this level.

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