Red back patch suits well for Inbar Lanir

All crowned with her world title won in Doha a few weeks ago, Inbar Lanir (ISR) appeared on the tatami with the status of favourite that she had to manage. Boosted by the good results of the first two days for the Israeli team.

In the final, Inbar Lanir found a former world champion, from 2015, the Japanese Mami Umeki, who had just cleared the second part of the draw. The opposition between the two champions looked interesting.

In the very first seconds, Inbar Lanir showed that she was ready to put all her heart in the battle for gold. As the contest unfolded, she clearly decided to be dominated by the strong grip of the Japanese athlete. That was obviously a trick as Lanir scored a first waza-ari with a powerful koshi-guruma. She kept allowing herself to be under pressure and once again she took advantage of the situation to counter-attack Mami Umeki with ura-nage for a second waza-ari. Doha was clearly not a win by chance. Today Inbar Lanir proved that she was the best judoka in the category for the moment.

Lanir defeatedLiz Ngelebeya (FRA) with a circling o-uchi-gari for waza-ari and an immobilisation in barely twenty seconds. In the next round she eliminated Metka Lobnik (SLO) in 1:33 with nice ground work leading to an armlock.

In the semi-finals Lanir was opposed by Patricia Sampaio, who had been intractable until then. Once again the world champion made the thunder speak, by countering an attack from the Portuguese, for a first waza-ari, before concluding on the ground with control.

Rika Takayama (JPN) and Hyunji Yoon (KOR) met in the first match for a bronze medal, the Japanese judoka winning with an armlock for ippon.

European champion, Alina Boehm (GER), who had just eliminated her compatriot and former world champion, Anna-Maria Wagner, in the repechage, found herself facing Patricia Sampaio (POR) for a place on the podium. The Portuguese judoka dominated the contest, technically, tactically and physically and scored a waza-ari with left seoi-nage.