Rika Takayama gives Japan a 100% success rate in Cancun

Takayama Rika of Japan defeated double Olympic bronze medallist Mayra Aguiar (BRA) to win her second Grand Prix title. World number 18 and Two-time Grand Slam winner Takayama, who won the 2016 Qingdao Grand Prix, is behind judoka such as world champion Hamada Shori (JPN), former world champion Umeki Mami (JPN) and Asian Games winner Sato Ruika (JPN) who is undefeated this year.

Aguiar has experienced a dip in form this year with no gold medal since her 2017 world title victory. The defending Cancun Grand Prix winner from Brazil had to settle for silver as she was penalised with a third shido for a false attack after four minutes and 28 seconds of golden score. The Japanese judoka was her country's only judoka in Cancun and left with gold.

In the first semi-final Hohhot Grand Prix bronze medallist Samanta Soares (BRA) was pinned down by Takayama with a kuzure-kesa-gatame for 20 seconds, ippon and a place in the gold medal contest. In the second semi-final Aguiar caught former world bronze medallist Kaliema Antomarchi (CUB) with a silky piece of ashi-waza for ippon and a place in the final with 50 seconds left on the clock.

The first bronze medal contest was won by Antomarchi who bested Tbilisi Grand Prix bronze medallist Beata Pacut (POL) with a buzzer-beating waza-ari score from a harai-makikomi. Antomarchi could now break into the world’s top 10 with her second Grand Prix bronze medal while Pacut has now placed at four IJF events this year.

The second bronze medal was won by world number 27 Soares who catapulted Pan American Championships silver medallist Karen Leon (VEN) through the air with a morote-seoi-nage with 27 seconds left on the clock for ippon. Soares, who defeated top seed Natalie Powell (GBR) in the quarter-final, dominated the contest as Brazil threatened to take over the final block with eight judoka in medal contests.