Sterpu Claims Gold in Thrilling -81kg Final

The final contest of the Zagreb Grand Prix on the second day delivered an exciting conclusion to the -81kg category, with Moldova's Victor Sterpu triumphing over Brazil's Gabriel Falcao to secure the gold medal. Falcao, who had dominated much of the match with precision and dangerous attacks, was initially caught off guard by Sterpu’s unexpected sumi-gaeshi, giving the Moldovan an early lead. Falcao responded, catching Sterpu on the floor for a waza-ari, but Sterpu secured a second score to win gold in a tense and spectacular final.

Earlier in the day, the bronze medal matches provided further excitement. In the first, France’s Arnaud Aregba faced off against Adam Kopecky (CZE). Aregba, focused from the start, was clearly aiming for an ura-nage and executed it flawlessly, earning a decisive ippon to claim bronze for France.

The second bronze match between Leonardo Casaglia (ITA) and Botond Toth (HUN) went into golden score, the first such contest in the final block. After an intense 3 minutes and 12 seconds, Casaglia found his moment and scored a waza-ari, securing the bronze for Italy.

The -81kg category saw its share of surprises, though some favorites managed to navigate their way through the competition. Victor Sterpu, a bronze medalist at the 2019 Junior World Championships, faced a tough challenge early on, narrowly defeating Serbia’s Vukan Stanimirovic with a well-timed ashi-waza. Sterpu continued his successful run, advancing past Aljaz Plantak (SLO) and Arnaud Aregba (FRA), before defeating Botond Toth (HUN) in the semi-final.

Brazil’s Gabriel Falcao, a former junior world number one, also had an impressive day. After defeating Adam Kopecky in the semi-final, he reached the final but fell just short against the determined Sterpu. Despite his efforts, Falcao had to settle for silver, while Sterpu celebrated a well-deserved gold.