Adam Sangariev (RUS) never looked under pressure as he progressed through the top half of the draw. He began by defeating world silver medallist Kyle Reyes (CAN), before overcoming Georgios Kroussaniotakis (CYP) by ippon in just one minute and then ending the home challenge of Huang Fuchun (CHN). In the semi-finals, he halted Karl Baathe's (SWE) impressive run to secure a place in the final, having dictated the pace of each of his contests with remarkable assurance.
On the other side of the draw, Giovani Ferreira (BRA) emerged from an equally competitive field. The Brazilian opened with a convincing victory over Shen Yijie (CHN), then got the better of Piotr Kuczera (POL) before denying Idar Bifov (RUS) a place in the final. Ferreira adapted intelligently to each opponent, finding different solutions from one round to the next, once again confirming his ability to deliver when the level rises.
The final maintained a fast tempo from beginning to end, with neither judoka prepared to give an inch. Although each collected penalties, they came due to their constant willingness to engage rather than from passivity. It was an entertaining contest that looked ready to swing either way until the closing moments. Then, with less than thirty seconds remaining, Sangariev finally found the opening he had been searching for, throwing Ferreira for ippon to earn the title.
Sangariev said, "I didn't feel perfectly well before the final but I kept my faith in my judo and this paid off. I am very glad that with Bifov we can stand on the podium together. My focus is on the Olympics, I want to qualify my first Games.
The bronze medal contests reflected the overall quality of the category. Huang Fuchun (CHN), who had battled back through the repechage after his quarter-final defeat, carried the hopes of the home crowd into the final session. His opponent was Iosif Simin (ISR), who had also recovered from disappointment earlier in the day to earn another opportunity to step onto the podium. In the second bronze medal contest, Karl Baathe (SWE), whose excellent campaign included a victory over top seed Anton Savytskiy (UKR), met Idar Bifov (RUS), who had recovered from his semi-final defeat by overcoming Benjamin Mataseje (SVK) in the repechage.
The atmosphere inside the arena prickled noticeably when Huang stepped onto the tatami, carried by the enthusiastic home support. The Chinese judoka responded in style, first scoring waza-ari with a powerful uchi-mata, before immediately following into osaekomi to secure the ippon and earn a thoroughly deserved bronze medal for the host nation.
The second bronze medal contest was decided much earlier. Bifov established his lead with an expertly executed sutemi-waza for waza-ari and then managed the remainder of the contest with confidence, giving Baathe few opportunities to respond. The Russian had secured his place on the podium.
Final (-100 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-100 kg)
