Lightweight Davud Mammadsoy surprises in Tel Aviv
In the lightweight category at the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv Azerbaijan and Georgia brought a classic judo rivalry and in the final judo fans saw much of the creative judo we would expect from such a battle. Davud Mammadsoy (AZE) took the lead inside the first minute, with a sacrifice throw, but that wasn’t the end of the action.
A waza-ari went to Georgia before the Mammadsoy regained control to finish the match. That’s his first gold medal at a grand slam and the satisfaction was obvious.
During the first day some of the young Israeli athletes step on to a grand slam tatami for the first time. They didn’t make it to the final block but enjoyed a great experience.
Early in the day Russia looked ready to stamp on the group but it didn’t work out that way, with only Abdulaev reaching a bronze medal match. He won the contest by armlock and will take his place on the podium.
The other bronze medal was won by Kyrgyzbayev (KAZ), leaving Lesiuk of the Ukraine looking crest-fallen, after some great wins to reach the step before the medal rostrum. The Kazakh was dynamic yet relaxed and clearly enjoyed the win.
Result | City | Date |
---|---|---|
2 | Paris | 30 Jul |
1 | Abu Dhabi | 21 May |
1 | Zagreb | 26 Apr |
3 | Belgrade | 2023 |
2 | Montpellier | 2023 |