New kid Zhanarys Rakhmetkali claims first Grand Prix medal

Azerbaijan's Ruslan Pashayev, a bronze medalist from the Tbilisi Grand Slam, entered the U66 kg category as one of the top contenders at the Zagreb tournament. Pashayev got off to a strong start, securing an impressive ippon in his opening match. His next bout against Eran Fiks (ISR) was no less dominant, as Pashayev quickly scored a waza-ari with a precise ashi-waza*just seven seconds in. He followed up by transitioning into a hold for ippon nearly three minutes later, setting the stage for the semi-finals.

In the semi-final, Pashayev faced Michael Fryer (GBR), an unexpected standout. Fryer’s performance throughout the day had been electric, starting with a swift ippon victory over Victor Garcia Osado (ESP) in just over a minute. Fryer’s next match was even quicker, as he secured an armlock ippon against Georgios Balarjishvili (CYP) in just 18 seconds. The British judoka continued his momentum into the quarter-finals, where he scored a waza-ari against Ronald Lima (BRA) with a low ko-uchi-gari, advancing to the semi-finals against Pashayev.

Despite Pashayev’s strong form, Fryer pulled off another surprise in the semi-final, winning with a beautiful ippon to reach the final.

On the other side of the draw, Canadian favorite Julien Frascadore was unexpectedly stopped by Hungary’s Balint Gombas, who himself fell to Georgia’s Tengo Zirakashvili. Zirakashvili, however, was no match for Kazakhstan’s Zhanarys Rakhmetkali, the top seed of Pool D, who advanced to the final to face Fryer.

The final between Fryer and Rakhmetkali was an exciting contest. Rakhmetkali posed a constant threat with his seoi-otoshi, while Fryer was aggressive on the floor. But in golden score, Rakhmetkali readjusted his attack multiple times before securing a superb ippon, winning his second gold medal for Kazakhstan.

In the bronze medal matches, Tengo Zirakashvili (GEO) faced Eran Fiks (ISR) in the first contest. Zirakashvili took control with a seoi-otoshi for waza-ari and pressured Fiks into two penalties before sealing the win with another seoi-otoshi to take the bronze. The second bronze medal bout saw Hungary’s Balint Gombas up against Ruslan Pashayev (AZE). Pashayev delivered a fantastic okuri-ashi-barai that flattened Gombas, earning him an ippon and the second bronze.