Canada takes precious gold by Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard

The second day of a World Judo Tour tournament like the Grand Slam in Tbilisi is always more compact, with only four weight classes competing, but it is still a particularly dynamic and spectacular day with strong competitors from Canada.

The Canadian team was in great shape during the second day of the Tbilisi Grand Slam and it began with Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard, who confirmed her role as the favourite of the competition by qualifying for the final, where she found Yang Junxia (CHN), who had not appeared on an international podium since her bronze medal in 2019 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam.

The final started with two athletes trying to control the opponent, but with especially uncertain sequences on the floor, where both competitors seemed capable of gaining the upper hand. It was finally Beauchemin-Pinard who found the opening, in a standing position, after very tight control of the sleeve to slip under with a low kata-guruma for ippon.

Ozbas Szofi (HUN), barely 19 years old, is one of those young judoka who are growing, after having emerged in the juniors, now showing their nose at the seniors, without any fear. Junior world champion in 2019, bronze medallist in Budapest in 2020, the young woman was again present during the final block of a world circuit event, for the bronze medal, against the Dutch fighter Geke Van Den Berg, whom is doing well in Tbilisi again, having been a finalist here in 2019. Van Den Berg took the lead with a strong counterattack and she doubled the score a short while later to win her first medal in a grand slam.

Lucy Renshall (GBR) found her way back to the final block, for the second bronze medal, against the winner of the 2019 Ekaterinburg Grand Slam, Daria Davydova (RUS). After thirty seconds of the golden score period, the Russian could finally counterattack one of the numerous hip throw attempts of Renshall, to win the bronze.