Agata Ozdoba-Blach highlights career with Grand Slam gold

At the second day of the Grand Slam in Kazan two more experienced judoka made it to the final. It is not insulting to say that Ketleyn Quadros (BRA) is a veteran on the World Judo Tour, since the Brazilian was already an Olympic bronze medallist in 2008. Thirteen years after that performance, she remains competitive and efficient, which must be underlined.

People know how difficult it is to stay at the highest level over a long period of time. In particularly good shape in Kazan, Quadros won her ticket to the final where she was opposed by Agata Ozdoba-Blach (POL), fifth at the last European Championships.

After a very well balanced final, the athletes entered the golden score period. After 20 seconds the Brazilian thought she had won, with a counterattack but it was not enough for a waza-ari. It was ultimately Agata Ozdoba-Blach who scored, after more than two minutes of golden score, with ippon-ko-uchi-gari for waza-ari.

Apart from a fifth place at Grand Prix level, Cristina Cabana Perez (ESP) had no Grand Slam reference before she contested the bronze medal in Kazan, against Ekaterina Valkova (RUS). The Russian rapidly concluded the match with two consecutive waza-ari, the first from a yoko-tomoe-nage and the second from a reverse drop seoi-nage to win bronze.

The second bronze medal was contested by Sanne Vermeer (NED), third place this year in Doha, Tel Aviv and the European Championships and Andreja Leski (SLO), on the podium in each of her recent outings too: European Championships, Doha, Tel Aviv and Tashkent. It is Sanne Vermeer who will go back home with the medal after she scored a waza-ari with a shoulder movement.