Kim Jin A strikes gold for DPR Korea

North Korean Kim Jin A won her second IJF title of the season with an impressive win over world number 16 Sarah Leonie Cysique (FRA). KIM won four of her five contests by ippon to maintain a 100% winning record on the tour this year in addition to her continental championships win in April. The 23-year-old beat Cysique in the final by a waza-ari score and could be a major contender at the upcoming World Judo Masters in December.

In the first semi-final former Zagreb Grand Prix silver medallist Diana Dzhigaros (RUS) slipped to defeat against Cysique by a waza-ari score but proved that she is durable at this level as the Russian entered the bronze medal equation while the French starlet moved into the gold medal contest.

In the second semi-final Hohhot Grand Prix winner Kim Jin A stunned world number 77 Alexandra-Larisa Florian (AZE) by ippon after only 60 seconds to power into the final.

The first bronze medal was awarded to former Abu Dhabi Grand Slam winner Kim Jandi (KOR) who thwarted Florian by throwing with a huge hane-goshi and then applied a kesa-gatame for 10 seconds to show her class of old.

The second bronze medal was won by Dzhigaros who launched world number seven Theresa Stoll (GER) with a koshi-guruma after 11 seconds of golden score for a waza-ari to earn his first IJF medal since 2016. Dzhigaros finally justified her continued selection by her country having failed to medal at her previous 13 IJF events since her silver medal at the 2016 Zagreb Grand Prix. The world number 58, who took silver at the 2015 Junior Worlds here in Abu Dhabi, could barely contain her excitement after surprising everyone by winning her second Grand Slam medal and winning four of her five contests in the UAE.