Last day of Cadet World Championships with thrilling finals

Japan is not surprisingly leading the medal table of the Cadet World Championships in Santiago de Chile with three gold medals. Also at the last day, Japan have good papers for the medals, but they can expect some opposition from various countries. Read the preview by the IJF who are the athletes and nations who can claim the titles at the last day.

Girls U70kg

Two-time and reigning Cadet African Championships winner Safa Jelassi (TUN) is the number one seed in the -70kg category. The 17-year-old ippon-seoi-nage specialist will face new opposition, a new competition and new country which will put her on a level playing field with standouts including Cadet European Championships winner Marlene Galandi (GER), Cadet Pan American Championships gold medallist Eduarda Rosa (BRA), Cadet European Championships bronze medallist Martina Esposito (ITA) and Cadet Asian Championships runner-up Liu Li-Ling (TPE).

2009 Valeria Ferrari (ITA)

2011 Adeline Bordat (FRA)

2013 Marie Eve Gahié (FRA)

2015 Karla Prodan (CRO)

Girls +70kg

Junior African Championships silver medallist Fatma Abidi (TUN) is the top seed in the heaviest girls’ weight category. The 16-year-old went unbeaten at the Cadet African Championships in June but will now be facing the best of judo’s powerhouse nations such as Japan, Russia, France and Brazil. Cadet European Championships silver medallist Daria Vladimirova (RUS), Cadet Pan American Championships winner Luiza Cruz (BRA) and one-time Cadet European Cup winner Yonekawa Akiho (JPN) could all impose themselves in the competition but it will be the latter who should command the most attention with one gold medal from one international competition in 2017.  

2009 Ji-Yeon Yu (KOR)

2011 Sarah Asahina (JPN)

2013 Gusmary Garcia Savigne (CUB)

2015 Akira Sone (JPN)

Boys U90kg

EYOF winner Mikheili Bekauri (GEO) has the enormous responsibility of representing Georgia in their best weight category in the first World Judo Championships of 2017. Bekauri, 17, who took silver at the Cadet European Championships, will be in the field of vision of Cadet European Championships bronze medallist Valeriy Endovitskiy (RUS), Cadet European Championships winner Enrico Bergamelli (ITA) and 16-year-old Cadet Asian Champions gold medallist Bekarys Saduakas (KAZ).

2009 Ryosuke Igarashi (JPN)

2011 Guram Tushishvili (GEO)

2013 Karlen Palyan (RUS)

2015 Simeon Catharina (NED)

Boys +90kg

Heavyweight hope David Babayan (RUS) has been working his way through the entire division at the u18 level with a run of five tournament wins in a row. Babayan has won his last 20 contests and will need to produce his best judo to extend that rich vein of form with judoka such as EYOF bronze medallists Levan Tchelidze (GEO) and the highly-rated Omer Aydin (TUR) poised for action alongside 16-year-old Junior Asian Championships winner Kim Minjong (KOR).

2009 Anton Krivobokov (RUS)

2011 Kensuke Tasaki (JPN)

2013 Hyoga Ota (JPN)

2015 Kemal Kaitov (RUS)