Barbara Matic sets Croatian judo hearts on fire

Split is on fire today as their hero Barbara Matic has won gold, marking the first gold ever in Croatian judo. The two-time world champion handled the pressure and expectations brilliantly. Matic, the world's number one, kept the German Miriam Butkereit at bay. Butkereit, reminiscent of Kerstin Thiele in 2012, settled for silver but had an excellent day.

A young Barbara Matic fought without result in Rio De Janeiro in 2016 and placed 5th in Tokyo five years later. After securing two world titles and entering Paris as the number one seed, Matic finally delivered her medal. She is now an Olympic champion and already a legend in her country.

In the first bronze medal contest, Tsunoda Roustant began actively, but Polleres was ready, countering for ippon as the Spaniard spun through a full bridge. Polleres now has her second Olympic medal.

The second bronze medal match featured Gabriella Willems against Sanne Van Dijke. Willems, despite facing tough competition, showed no hesitation. She attacked and defended wisely, throwing for a waza-ari halfway through the contest. She remained aggressive and controlled the match to secure the bronze, leaving Van Dijke with a fifth-place finish. Willems, who battled numerous injuries, including knee issues, over the past year, made her miraculous comeback. Standing tall at 1.81 meters, Willems, hailing from Liege, overcame her partner Christian Parlati's early loss to deliver Belgium's first medal of the event and left the Dutch empty-handed.

In the final, Matic swiftly secured Butkereit in a hold, nearly achieving ippon in just 20 seconds. Butkereit escaped at 18 seconds, giving her team a brief sigh of relief. Matic's waza-ari was enough to secure her victory, making her Croatia’s first-ever Olympic judo medallist and an Olympic champion.

After the final, Matic said, “After placing fifth in Tokyo, I knew I had to move on and stay motivated to win here in Paris. My parents and boyfriend are here, and I’m so glad I could finally do it in front of them. The dream came true.”

The afternoon's first repechage contest saw Ai Tsunoda Roustant (ESP) attack strongly and more frequently than world champion Saki Niizoe, earning her a spot in the bronze medal contest. The second repechage was faster, with Marie-Eve Gahie struggling while Willems took charge. Gahie's poorly prepared attack allowed Willems to secure a juji-gatame, earning an ippon and silencing the French crowd.

In the first semi-final, Butkereit (GER) faced Polleres (AUT) in an all-action contest. Despite the penalties, both judokas were aggressive. A third shido in golden score sent Polleres to the bronze medal match, while Butkereit advanced to the final.

Barbara Matic (CRO) and Sanne Van Dijke (NED) clashed in the second semi-final. Both aggressive and aiming for ippon, Van Dijke seemed to have a finishing shime-waza, but Matic resisted. In the next exchange, Matic executed a series of moves, finishing with uchi-mata to reach the Olympic final, ensuring Croatia’s first-ever Olympic judo medal.

Matic received her medal from former Croatian President and current IOC member Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, highlighting their shared history of celebrating Matic’s successes.