Boltaboev defeats Cavelius for gold in Astana but both set new standards

In the men's U81kg final, Timo Cavelius of Germany appeared to have exerted maximum effort during the preliminary rounds, setting the stage for a challenging encounter against the formidable Sharofiddin Boltaboev of Uzbekistan. Boltaboev demonstrated control throughout the contest, eventually executing a powerful ura-nage throw to secure a waza-ari and a decisive victory. This triumph will undoubtedly boost Boltaboev's confidence for future events, particularly after his swift defeat in Tajikistan.

Boltaboev's victory reflects his ability to learn from past disappointments, as evidenced by his dissatisfaction with his performance in Dushanbe a week prior. Conversely, Abylaikhan Zhubanazar of Kazakhstan, still riding the momentum from his bronze medal in Dushanbe, had the opportunity to salvage his tournament by facing Aurelien Bonferroni of Switzerland in the bronze medal contest. Zhubanazar capitalized on this chance, swiftly scoring an ippon with a counter-attack early in the match, much to the delight of the home crowd.

In the second bronze medal contest, veteran judoka Attila Ungvari of Hungary faced Sotaro Fujiwara of Japan. Despite Ungvari's experience, Fujiwara emerged victorious, capitalizing on Ungvari's penalties to secure the bronze medal.

As the top seed in the competition and competing on home turf, Zhubanazar entered the event with high expectations. His strong performance, coupled with Cavelius's impressive showing, highlighted the dynamic nature of judo competition, where each tournament presents new opportunities and challenges for athletes to overcome.