Inbal Shemesh belongs to the big guns now

The final of the Grand Slam in Baku U63kg between Van Den Berg (NED) and Israel’s Shemesh, who had made her way to the final quietly and without pretentiousness, was fought honestly and with humility on show from both. There were shidos to begin with but Shemesh eventually found her rhythm and used a counter we have seen many times before to win her second grand slam gold. It was disappointing for the Dutch fighter, who saw her first gold on the WJT slip away.

Shemesh’s victory is a pleasing result in Baku, with the Israeli women not quite performing as we have come to expect, in recent events. 

Number 1 seed U63kg Lucy Renshall (GBR) and 3rd seed Andreja Leski (SLO) fought each other for a bronze medal at the Grand Slam in Baku and that is as far as any of the top 4 seeds travelled. Fourth seed Szofi Ozbas (HUN), 2019 junior world champion and owner of 3 grand slam medals, lost in the quarter-final against a powerful and determined version of Van Den Berg (NED) and then lost to Croatia’s Oberan in the repechage too.

Barrios (VEN) is the last of the top 4 to make it to our notes but she lost her first contest to one of the home athletes, Gardashkhanli, who doesn’t have a single medal on the World Judo Tour. Why would she? She’s just 18 years old and spurred on by the crowd and her youth her 7th place finish today and the deconstruction of Barrios on her way there, show potential. This girl is one to watch!

A fly in everyone’s ointment today was supposed to be Japanese Lone Ranger Utana Terada. She won in Baku last year, but at -70kg and now she has reached her second final block in as many editions, this time at the lower weight and also for the smaller prize, being in a bronze medal match, facing Croatia’s Oberan. Last year she beat the now well known world silver medallist Lara Cvjetko in the final, who, incidentally didn’t make the medals this year at all; 7th place was her ceiling in Baku.

Terada and Oberan fought for the first bronze medal. It was not clear cut, not spectacular but the Japanese judoka led, by a whisker, throughout. With a a minute to go the Croatian was wading uncomfortably against two penalties and Terada piling the pressure on. The balance almost tutored the other way in te last few seconds when Oberan finally grabbed a deep cross-grip down her opponent’s back and changed direction swiftly for a sasai-tsuri-komi-ashi attempt but Terada felt it coming, blocked and reset, going back to her own seoi-nage attacks as the golden score period began. One such effort put Oberan in trouble on the floor and Terada took hold and took the medal.

Bronze number two, between seeded athletes Leski and Renshall fought an uneasy fight, with Renshall using dropping techniques on the left unsuccessfully and uncharacteristically, looking far more dangerous when regaining her customary top right hand but from there Leski evened the strength battle and every exchange became a 50/50 chance of survival.

Just into golden score and Leski changed tactics and employed an unusual combination. She rose back up after a seoi-toshi attempt and immediately went in for a huge tani-otoshi which caught the Brit completely off-guard. It was ippon and bronze for Leski and a 5th place for the world number one.

Leski is happy to overcome the world number one for bronze.

The final between Van Den Berg (NED) and Israel’s Shemesh, who had made her way to the final quietly and without pretentiousness, was fought honestly and with humility on show from both. There were shidos to begin with but Shemesh eventually found her rhythm and used a counter we have seen many times before to win her second grand slam gold. It was disappointing for the Dutch fighter, who saw her first gold on the WJT slip away.

Shemesh’s victory is a pleasing result in Baku, with the Israeli women not quite performing as we have come to expect, in recent events.