Galiya Tynbayeva claims gold for home crowd in Astana

Riding the wave of support from the Kazakh crowd, Galiya Tynbayeva faced a daunting challenge in her semi-final bout against Shirine Boukli. However, Tynbayeva showcased incredible resilience and determination, refusing to back down against Boukli's relentless attacks. With just 6 seconds remaining on the clock and the scoreboard evenly poised, Tynbayeva seized her moment with a decisive ko-soto-gake, earning an unassailable waza-ari and dashing Boukli's hopes of claiming the top spot on the podium in Astana.

In the final, Tynbayeva faced off against Sabina Giliazova, with the host nation eagerly anticipating a gold medal. Within the first 30 seconds of the contest, Tynbayeva executed a stunning tani-otoshi, scoring a waza-ari and nearly repeating the feat moments later. Despite Giliazova's persistent attempts with uchi-mata, Tynbayeva maintained her dominance, countering effectively and scoring another waza-ari with tani-otoshi, securing the gold medal for Kazakhstan.

Tynbayeva's victory marks a proud moment for Kazakhstan, as the 24-year-old judoka brings home the first gold medal of the Olympic cycle's last grand slam.

In the bronze medal contests, Tugce Beder and Firdovsiya Aliyeva engaged in a high-paced battle, with Beder's relentless tomoe-nage attacks ultimately paying off as she secured a crucial score in the final seconds of the contest, claiming her fourth grand slam prize. Meanwhile, the second bronze medal saw an intense matchup between an upturned Boukli and Spanish judoka Gomez Antona, with Boukli emerging victorious with a dominant display, refusing to concede to her opponent's tactics and securing the win with a waza-ari from a tomoe-nage.