Dreamfinal for Canada at Grand Prix Hohhot

The Olympic Qualification has seriously started at the Grand Prix in Hohhot. From the start fantastic battles can be seen within countries and throughout all weight categories surprises are continuously misleading the expectations. Some of the major contest will be the final U57kg between Canadian Olympic medal hopes Christa Deguchi and Jessica Klimkait.

Christa Deguchi who won the Grand Slam in Paris and Pan American title in April is again on fire, but with her Jessica Klimkait who reached the final after she won her pool overcoming experienced Miryam Roper (PAN) and in the semi final Kwon YouJeong (KOR). AT first we were all overwhelmed by the talent of Klimkait but since Deguchi started to take serious medals it was the former Japanese who was in the spotlights. Klimkait shows she has the strength to keep growing to world level.

Deguchi was able to beat Olympic Champion Rafaela Silva (BRA) in her second contest and defeated Japanese talent Momo Tamaoki who came up one year after Deguchi showed her face in the junior circuit in this category. Tamaoki also competed U48kg at junior worlds when she was 16. It was Deguchi who won that Japan-Canada battle and she qualified for a juicy final.

Another internal battle started U60kg where there’s an all Kazachstan final between Yeldos Smetov who won a serious strong pool and he will face Gusman Kyrgyzbayev who defeated two strong Mongolian judoka.

Look who’s back U66kg; Mikhail Puliaev! Just when the qualification started the Russian showed his face again. The World silver medallist can surprise each time when he has to showcase a top performance. Given his three World silver medals in a row, Puliaev should be able to mingle with the world’s best again in this new qualification period despite the huge battle with new guys U66kg in Russia. Puliaev will be opposed to Joshiro Maruyama, the Japanese champion and silver medallist in Paris this year.

U48kg surprises all the way as both Olympic medallists Urantsetseg Munkhbat and Jeong BoKyeong lost their match. Munkhbat can get back in the repechage for bronze, Jeong was out immediately. 23-year old Russian Sabina Giliazova defeated Munkhbat in the quarter final but lost to Kang YuJeong in the semi. Kang will fight Ami Kondo, the only one who was not a surprise. Also the Israelian judoka Rishony and Minsker fought quite a battle in Hohhot. Rishony fights Giliazova for bronze.

Gefen Primo, Israels European bronze medallist is back from the winning cloud after she lost her first match, which is actually normal. Wu Shugen won that pool and she is the only Chinese who qualified for the final. U52kg she will fight Uta Abe, not a surprise, she is world class. But that’s not a guarantee knows number one seed Erika Miranda who lost her first battle against Yulia Kazarina (Ryzhova). Spanish Ana Perez Box surprised her and goes for bronze.