Winning streak of jessica Klimkait continues

In the highly anticipated U57 final at the Dushanbe Grand Slam, Jessica Klimkait of Canada and Sarah Leonie Cysique of France faced off in a showdown that held significant implications for their Olympic aspirations.

For Cysique, who has already secured her spot in the Paris 2024 Games, the final was an opportunity to secure crucial ranking points. Meanwhile, for Klimkait, currently ranked second in the world, uncertainty loomed regarding her Olympic qualification, with her teammate Christa Deguchi holding a higher ranking. With Deguchi absent from the competition, Klimkait seized the chance to stake her claim in Dushanbe, knowing that their roles would reverse in the upcoming Kazakhstan event before both judokas compete in the Abu Dhabi World Championships.

The final itself was a tightly contested affair, with Cysique displaying power and control while Klimkait remained precise and relentless in her attacks. Despite the pressure from her opponent, Klimkait's aggression paid off, leading to Cysique accumulating penalties, with the decisive third penalty coming in golden score, securing a valuable victory for the Canadian.

With Deguchi set to compete in Kazakhstan next week, the battle for Olympic qualification between the two teammates remains intense and uncertain. The judo world will eagerly await the outcome as these two talented athletes continue their quest for a spot in the Games.

Klimkait’s Grand Slam winning streak continues. The 27-year-old judoka climbed to the top of the Grand Slam podium for the 14th consecutive time, on a streak that began in February 2020. It was her 29th medal on this circuit since the beginning of her dazzling career.

“I’m happy to be on top of the podium, especially after my recent silver place in Georgia. I made sure to be patient and focus on the details in the final. I’m glad that it came together”, said Klimkait.

Klimkait came very close to scoring with two minutes left in regulation time. She knocked Cysique over twice, but Cysique regained her footing both times.

The Canadian therefore continued to attack, and Cysique, who is ranked seventh in the world, incurred penalties as she attempted to counter the offensives. Her third shido in overtime put an end to the match, which had lasted 5 minutes and 29 seconds.

“Fights between Jessica and [Sarah-Leonie] are always very physical, and today’s was no exception. With time, Jessica has learned a lot about how to fight her, so she knew how to prepare her attacks, without leaving any openings [for Cysique],” explained national coach Janusz Pawlowski, about today’s gold medal victory.

“The key is to stick to the game plan and remain patient. The bout dragged on, but Jessica remained consistent, and she never strayed from her plan to clinch the win.”

To begin the tournament, Klimkait bested Yamini Mourya of India by ippon. She then defeated Maysa Pardayeva of Turkmenistan to advance to the semi-finals, where she ousted Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo of Mongolia.

“There’s always a bit of nervousness early in the day. Emotions run high. Her first bout, against a lesser-known opponent, was a bit more difficult, but after that, she got on track,” added Pawlowski. “She was very determined, and she knew what she had to do to accomplish her objectives for the day. She had great posture on the tatamis, which allowed her to get great grips and minimize errors. It was great judo!”

Sarah Leonie Cysique, also after a first round bye, scored waza-ari with ko-uchi-gari against Ozlem Yildiz (TUR) before concluding with an armlock. She then pinned Mina Libeer (BEL), despite her good defence and annihilated Toniolo's hopes of a final a little later.

The first contest for a bronze medal was between Maysa Pardayeva (TKM) and Veronica Toniolo (ITA). After a very balanced match which saw only one shido given to Pardayeva, Toniolo scored a waza-ari with just two seconds left on the clock. The bronze medal was assigned to Italy!

To complete the podium, we had to wait for the result of the contest between Mina Libeer (BEL) and Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo (MGL). It went all the way to golden score and was decided by a third penalty being given to Libeer after a last strong attack from Lkhagvatogoo. This bronze medal was for team Mongolia.