News
Home » Judo news
The latest Judo News offered by JudoInside.com
Strong presence for Russians at Grand Slam Ekaterinburg
16 Mar 2018 17:20

This weekend the IJF World Judo Tour 2018 landed in Russia with Olympic and world champions among the stars on show at the third Grand Slam of the season, Ekaterinburg 2018.
Following two back-to-back Grand Slams in February (Paris and Düsseldorf) it is now the turn of Russia to host a two-day spectacle as the fascinating season is breaking new for the sport on television, online and in terms of its standing as a high-octane, pulse-pounding sport where any athlete is beatable.
The hosts’ fourth largest city, Ekaterinburg, delivered a Grand Slam for the first time last year and now an even stronger field of judoka have assembled to the east of the Ural Mountains for a crucial stop on the IJF World Judo Tour.
The draw took place on Friday afternoon at the Hyatt Regency hotel where it was revealed that 251 judoka (152 men, 99 women) will be in action from 34 countries.
Names such as Olympic champion Fabio Basile (ITA), world champion Mayra Aguiar (BRA), World Judo Masters winner Guram Tushishvili (GEO), four-time world medallist Telma Monteiro (POR) and the returning three-time world champion Ebinuma Masashi (JPN) give an indication of the level of talent competing this weekend.
Judo fans are now waiting with bated breath for the latest Grand Slam supershow and there are compelling storylines in every weight category this weekend. Seven categories will be contested each day, moving from the lightest on day 1 to the heaviest on day 2, and while current stars may reconfirm their level there is also the chance for surprises and for newcomers to the IJF World Judo Tour to make a splash in Ekaterinburg.
Related judoka and events
Related Judo Photos
Related Judo Videos
Related Judo News
 - KARAKAS, Hedvig (HUN)2.jpg)
Telma Monteiro equals Edith Hrovat with 14th European medal
Some surprising European champions in Prague. Statisticians enjoy these championships with lots of figures thanks to the experienced judoka. But also youngsters show themselves with less than 250 days to go for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Read more

Kim Jin A makes history for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam gold medallist Kim Jin A of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea became her country’s first World Judo Masters champion with a riveting display in the U57kg category. Osaka Grand Slam winner Tamaoki Momo (JPN) met her match in the final as Kim pounced with a neat ashi-waza movement to offset the Tokyo 2020 contender for a waza-ari score to the delight of her travelling delegation. Read more

Georgii Zantaraia and Idalys Ortiz are World Championships legends
Without Teddy Riner Cuban judo star Idalys Ortiz is the one with the most World Championships medals fighting in Tokyo. The Cuban heavyweight captured seven World Championships medals in her career. In 2009 she won her first and in 2013 and 2014 she took the world title. Read more

Well deserved victory for unorthodox Daria Mezhetskaia
In our preview we already foreseen a clash between reigning European Champion Nora Gjakova and Russian Daria Mezhetskaia. She was the one to watch in Minsk and it didn’t surprise she made to to the final but even defeated Gjakova. She wasn’t super high on the ranking list but the one on form with finals in Tel Aviv and Hohhot. Read more

Nora Gjakova in the driver seat U57kg
The weight class U57kg is always competitive and the European women have had various aces to try to win the major international titles but since 2009 not a single European woman was able to take a World or Olympic title. At the European Games in Minsk we will learn who is able to get close to the Japanese, Mongolian or Brazilian rivals. Read more
21
days
Judo birthday

Karine Berger (FRA)
36 years
Result | City | Date |
---|---|---|
1 | Düsseldorf | 2020 |
2 | Osaka | 2019 |
1 | Tokyo | 2019 |
1 | Tokyo | 2019 |
1 | Hohhot | 2019 |
Result | City | Date |
---|---|---|
1 | Düsseldorf | 2020 |
1 | Osaka | 2019 |
1 | Tokyo | 2019 |
3 | Tokyo | 2019 |
2 | Fukuoka | 2019 |