Risks brings rewards for Mongolia’s Ganbold who wins first Masters title

Ganbold Kherlen brought the mass of Mongolian supporters to their feet with victory in the U66kg category. Tashkent Grand Prix silver medallist Ganbold, who was competing in his second Masters, shaded Asian Championships silver medallist Yeldos Zhumakanov (KAZ) with just seven seconds left in regulation time.

Ganbold brought the Kazakh in towards him before lifting him up and over for ippon. Mongolian judoka like to put it all on the line in search of victory and the ambition of Ganbold paid off with the finest moment of his career and his country’s first gold medal in St. Petersburg.

In the first semi-final Ganbold squeezed past Baku Grand Slam bronze medallist Baruch Shmailov (ISR) by a waza-ari score. In the second semi-final world bronze medallist Vazha Margvelashvili (GEO) was unceremoniously dispatched by Zhumakanov after just 11 seconds with a front ura-nage for ippon. 

In the first bronze medal contest Margvelashvili defeated three-time world silver medallist Mikhail Puliaev (RUS) from an early waza-ari score which came courtesy of a pick-up as the Russian could not turn out.                  

The second bronze medal went to Shmailov who was superior to Ekaterinburg Grand Slam silver medallist Charles Chibana (BRA) for all four minutes of their contest. The Israeli judoka secured his place on the podium by a waza-ari score in his first experience of the World Judo Masters.

Read all the news about the IJF World Masters in St. Petersburg.