Luka Mkheidze sets the tone for 2024

The support of the public at the 50st Grand Slam in Paris was obviously an additional strength for Luka Mkheidze, who did not miss the opportunity to beat the world champion to reach the final. The public could rejoice! However, there was still an important step to take for the Marseillaise to resound in the Accor Hotel Arena. This challenge was called Harim Lee (KOR), a bronze medallist at the Doha 2023 World Championships and victor against Yung Wei Yang (TPE) in the semi-final on Friday.

If there is something guaranteed when a final takes place, following a very complex tactical plan, the details of which sometimes only connoisseurs can appreciate, in front of the public at Bercy, everything takes on another dimension. When a judoka is French, in this case Luka Mkheidze, you can expect an incredible atmosphere. The day's final was tense and closed, with neither athlete managing to find the slightest opportunity to throw. We cannot say that there were no attempts, on the contrary, but nothing seemed to please the two competitors. Mkheidze was penalised for grabbing below the belt during normal time and it was ultimately the same mistake that gave him the victory in golden score, when Lee received a shido for the same error. It is a first victory for Mkheidze in Paris, a third gold medal at grand slam level.

Dressed in his beautiful red back patch and with a deserved top seeding, Francisco Garrigos (ESP) attacked the day with flying colours, putting together a string of victories. Obviously in good shape, no-one could resist him on the road to the semi-final. After a first match against Johan Rojas (COL), he beat Won Jin Kim (KOR) and Taiki Nakamura (JPN). In the semi-final, he was opposed by Luka Mkheidze, who, in front of his home crowd, also performed flawlessly during the first phase of the competition.

No doubt disappointed not to be in the final, Taiki Nakamura (JPN) and Yung Wei Yang (TPE) still had a chance to appear on the podium, which in Paris always has a special taste, since they qualified for the first bronze medal contest. The first part of the contest being all for Yang, Nakamura received a first shido for passivity but the first score came from the Japanese judoka, with an almost perfect seoi-nage for waza-ari, driven all the way through. Nakamura simply had to keep control until the gong to win the bronze medal. OK, let's say it that simply, but in judo nothing is never easy at this level.

For Dilshot Khalmatov (UKR) and Francisco Garrigos (ESP) all was not lost since they too had the chance to appear among the winners of this grand slam. A few months before the Games, obtaining a medal in the French capital is not trivial. After a tactical contest, Francisco Garrigos won the bronze medal, as Dilshot Khalmatov was penalised three times, too often flirting with the limit of the competition area. This is the 8th grand slam medal for the world champion.