Nikoloz Sherazadishvili seals fourth Grand Slam victory

Former world champion from Spain Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (ESP) won his first Paris Grand Slam title as he surged past former world bronze medallist Nagasawa Kenta (JPN). World number one Sherazadishvili launched Nagasawa with a gigantic o-goshi as the Japanese judoka must have felt like he was in the air for a lifetime before being sent over for ippon.

In the first semi-final Sherazadishvili defeated world number seven Mammadali Mehdiyev (AZE) by ippon from a ura-nage after 90 seconds.

In the second semi-final world champion Noel Van ‘t End (NED) fell to Nagasawa in golden score after picking up his third shido for going out of the area.

The first bronze medal was won by double world bronze medallist Axel Clerget (FRA) who somewhat fortuitously triumphed over Van ‘t End. Clerget and Van ‘t End were tied up on the edge of the area and the Dutchman was elected to have stepped out which resulted in his third shido and saw the Frenchman crowned the victor.                   

The second bronze medal went to former world silver medallist Ivan Felipe Silva Morales (CUB) who dispatched Mehdiyev after 90 seconds of golden score. Silva Morales was the busier of the two judoka and attacked with a uchi-mata and an o-soto-gari as he unsettled the Azeri and eventually forced him over for a contest-winning score.