12 Oct 2024 12:40
Inside news
Murad Chopanov is the Uchimata man
12 May 2021 08:15
by Oon yeoh of JudoCrazy
IJF Gabriela Sabau / International Judo Federation
At the Tel Aviv Grand Slam he got 5th place. Then, at the Antalya Grand Slam he got 3rd place. Finally, on home turf, at the Kazan Grand Slam, he got 1st place. Russia's relative unknown Murad Chopanov has risen steadily this year, culminating in his first IJF circuit gold medal.
In his fights, he has shown himself to be a capable uchimata man, with his execution very similar to Shohei Ono's in that at times it almost looks like he's doing a head dive. Like Ono though, he turns his head in the last moment so it's the side of his head that hits the mat, not the top. This prevents a hansoku-make being given.
His uchimata is always done when he has a high grip. When he came up against a Georgian, this made it harder for him to do because Georgians like to take on high grips themselves. However, on the two occasions when he threw his Georgian opponent with uchimata, it was at the precise moment when he manages to get the upper hand and secure a high grip. Knowing that this won't last for long, he strikes immediately with uchimata and both times it scored, giving him a waza-ari-awasete-ippon.
This young -66kg fighter is definitely someone to look out for in the future.
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