Türkiye Celebrates Paralympic Gold with Bolukbasi in Paris

The final day of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games judo competition was packed with excitement, featuring six categories. The day concluded with thrilling judo and outstanding performances, as Brazil, Ukraine, and Türkiye took home top honors in their respective categories.

J1 -90 kg: Brazil Starts with Gold

The J1 -90 kg category featured thrilling and fiercely competitive matches. Brazil’s Arthur Cavalcante Da Silva, the top seed, made his way to the final by defeating Turgun Abdiev from Uzbekistan and Yasin Cimciler from Turkey. In the final, Da Silva won gold by securing a waza-ari followed by a pin for ippon against Daniel Powell from Great Britain.

Cyril Jonard of France, after losing in the semifinals, rebounded with an emotional victory for bronze, pinning Abdiev for ippon in front of an enthusiastic crowd. In the second bronze medal match, Oleg Cretul from Moldova won after Yasin Cimciler from Turkey was disqualified.

J1 +90 kg: Brazil Scores Again with Silva De Araujo

Brazil continued their success in the J1 +90 kg category, as Wilians Silva De Araujo claimed another gold medal for his country. De Araujo dominated the final against Moldova's Ion Basoc, winning with a waza-ari followed by an ippon.

In the bronze medal matches, Azerbaijani legend Ilham Zakiyev added yet another medal to his collection by defeating Ganbat Dashtseren of Mongolia. Meanwhile, Jason Grandy of France thrilled the home crowd by winning his bout against Turkey's Onur Tastan with a throw for ippon, leading to emotional celebrations.

J1 +70 kg: Harnyk Claims Paralympic Title

In the J1 +70 kg category, Ukraine's Anastasiia Harnyk, the reigning world champion, added the Paralympic title to her achievements by defeating Brazil's Erika Zoaga with a swift ippon in the final.

In the first bronze medal match, Nazan Akin Gunes from Turkey defeated Feruza Ergasheva of Uzbekistan with two waza-aris. The second bronze went to Christella Garcia from the USA, who won her bout against Azerbaijan's Khatira Ismiyeva with a powerful throw.

J2 -90 kg: Nazarenko Triumphs, Latchoumanaya Falls Short

One of the most anticipated finals was in the J2 -90 kg category, where France's Helios Latchoumanaya sought gold. However, it was Ukraine's Oleksandr Nazarenko who triumphed, holding onto an early waza-ari despite Latchoumanaya's relentless pressure, securing a gold medal for Ukraine.

In the bronze medal matches, Uzbekistan’s Davurkhon Karomatov won with a double score over Lasha Kizilashvili from Georgia, while Marcelo Adriano De Azevedo Casanova from Brazil won the second bronze after a strong throw against Italy’s Simone Cannizzaro.

J2 +70 kg: Brazil Dominates Again

Brazil's third gold medal of the day came from Rebeca De Souza Silva in the J2 +70 kg category, who won her final against Cuba’s Sheyla Hernandez Estupinan with a waza-ari and subsequent pin for ippon.

China's Hongyu Wang secured a bronze medal with a swift counter-attack in her match against Azerbaijan's Dursadaf Karimova. In the second bronze medal match, Zarina Raifova from Kazakhstan edged out Italy's Carolina Costa in golden score, earning a hard-fought victory.

J2 +90 kg: Türkiye Celebrates Gold with Bolukbasi

The final event of the tournament, the J2 +90 kg category, saw Türkiye’s Ibrahim Bolukbasi claim the gold medal, defeating Revaz Chikoidze from Georgia. Bolukbasi's early waza-ari was enough to hold off Chikoidze, despite mounting pressure.

In the bronze medal matches, Kazakhstan's Zhurkamyrza Shukurbekov defeated France’s Nacer Zorgani, while Great Britain's Christopher Skelley secured bronze with an ippon over Indonesia's Tony Ricardo Mantolas.