Inside news
Home
News
Teenager Akira Sone secures first IJF World Judo Tour title

Teenager Akira Sone secures first IJF World Judo Tour title

27 May 2018 14:40
by Mark Pickering - IJF
IJF Media Team / International Judo Federation

Youngster Akira Sone ruled the women’s heavyweight category at the Grand Prix Hohhot with a comprehensive win over Paris Grand Slam winner Kim Minjeong (KOR). All Japan Openweight Championships winner Sone , 17, caught Kim with an ouchi-gari for a waza-ari score with one minute left on the clock and added a second by osaekomi to earn Japan’s seventh gold medal at the first qualifier for their home Olympics.

In the first semi-final Tbilisi Grand Prix bronze medallist Anne Fatoumata M’ Bairo (FRA) lost out in-form Kim who won by ippon from a seoi-nage. In the second semi-final Wang Yan (CHN) was held down by Sone Akira (JPN) for ippon.

The first bronze medal was awarded to Wang who defeated 2017 Hohhot Grand Prix winner Han Mi Jin (KOR) by a waza-ari score from an osoto-makikomi to win her country’s second medal at home in Hohhot.  

The second bronze medal was won by two-time world silver medallist Maria Suelen Altheman (BRA) who bested M’Bairo after just 34 seconds. Brazil’s Altheman opened the scoring with a harai-makikomi and held down her opponent to added a second and match-winning waza-ari.

More judo info than you can analyse 24/7! Share your results with your judo network. Become an insider!