Luise Malzahn moves into top 5 with Grand Slam gold

At the last day of the Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi the final opposed the already three-time medallist of an IJF event in 2014, Victoriya Turks (UKR), and the world number 5 and Samsun Grand Prix and Dusseldorf Grand Prix winner in 2014, Luise Malzahn (GER). With a huge o-soto-gari initiated inside the fighting area and concluded just outside, Malzahn scored a first yuko.

Exactly at the same place less than a minute later, Malzahn scored again with an aerial koshi-waza technique, which projected Turks over her for waza-ari, immediately followed on the ground for osea-komi (immobilization) for ippon.

The first bronze medal fight saw Guusje Steenhuis (NED) opposed to Hungarian Abigel Joo who earlier during the day defeated the curent Olympic Champion, Kayla HARRISON (USA). After three minutes, there was still nothing on the scoreboard, STEENHUIS and JOO, perfectly neutralizing one another. Until the last minute, when the Hungarian finally scored a waza-ari with a rolling makikomi technique, offering her the bronze medal.

The second bronze medal fight opposed the current Olympic Champion and former World Champion, Kayla HARRISON (USA) and the 2013 World Champion, SOL Kyong (PRK). Slightly injured, the North Korean looked dominated by Harrison, nevertheless, she was the first to score with a drop seoi-nage for yuko. Miraculously escaping from every attack of the American, SOL Kyong finally won the bronze.