Jessica Klimkait makes no mistakes in golden performance

No offence to the other weight classes, but there is no doubt that the U57kg group was the most densely entered and therefore the most undecided category in action at the Antalya Sports Hall. Jessica Klimkait (CAN), reigning world champion, Christa Deguchi (CAN), world champion the previous year, Sarah Leonie Cysique (FRA), Olympic silver medallist at Tokyo 2020 and not forgetting Timna Nelson-Levy (ISR) and Telma Monteiro (POR) and former World Champion Rafaela Silva… that sets the scene enough.

For a long time we believed in a fratricidal final between the two Canadians, Klimkait and Deguchi, taking place, but the latter had to bow against the bulldozer Cysique who, despite a small shido, left no chance for her opponent, as illustrious as she was. To face the French, although things were not as easy as that for her, Klimkait came out better.

Of course everybody knows that Klimkait is a seoi-nage specialist and of course all her opponents know that at any time she can drop under their centre if gravity. Despite knowing it, Sarah Leonie Cysique could not avoid the very first attack of the Canadian champion, who waited little more than thirty seconds to win by ippon. Klimkait is back with her red back patch and she showed it in the best way possible today in Antalya.

Timna Nelson-Levy is a safe bet in the Israeli team. Although we feel that she is not yet in full possession of her faculties, once again she entered the final block of an event on the world circuit. It was against the former world champion, Christa Deguchi and things were looking tight. What probably impressed the most, watching Deguchi competing today, was that she looked smaller than her opponent and many times dominated. It's the first major competition at the international level for the former world champion and she probably needs more time to be back on track. Since she didn't participate in the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, the category has already changed and she needs to adapt. The future will tell us, but at least for today she was defeated by Timna Nelson-Levy who was definitely physically stronger than the Canadian.

Telma Monteiro (POR) is still there! The longevity of this athlete is absolutely incredible, a longevity both physical and mental. Opposite the Portuguese champion, Jessica Lima (BRA) showed great things during the morning session. There would only be one of the two on the podium. 24 seconds before the end, it was Jessica Lima with a clever ko-soto-gari who scored the winning ippon for a first medal in a grand slam.