Miku Tashiro beats Olympic champion for the 10th time

Four-time world medallist Tashiro Miku of Japan kept her remarkable unbeaten run against Olympic champion Tina Trstenjak (SLO) intact as the Japanese judoka has now won all 10 of their meetings. World number two Trstenjak trailed world number three Tashiro by a waza-ari score from a o-uchi-gari and the latter offered a clinical finish on the ground with osaekomi to continue her country’s dominance in Germany.

In the first semi-final Trstenjak held down world number 59 Manon Deketer (FRA) with a tate-shiho-gatame to ease into the final. In the second semi-final eight-time Grand Prix winner Kathrin Unterwurzacher (AUT) was pinned down by Tashiro with a yoko-shiho-gatame for ippon in just 40 seconds as the Japanese standout rushed into the final.

The first bronze medal contest was won by Abu Dhabi Grand Slam silver medallist Maylin Del Toro Carvajal (CUB) who sealed victory over Unterwurzacher with a second waza-ari score seven seconds from the end. Unterwurzacher went behind to a waza-ari score from a hip throw and had to chase the contest which played into the hands of the Cuban who countered a desperate attempt from her opponent in the closing seconds in the first contest of the final block.       

The second bronze medal was won by Asian-Pacific Championships silver medallist Bold Gankhaich (MGL) after 67 seconds of additional time. Deketer picked up her third shido for passivity and was dismissed which bolstered Mongolia’s medal haul in Germany.