Facing the German Olympic medallist for gold was Clemence Eme (FRA), fresh from her bronze medal winning performance in Dushanbe just last week. Eme looked self-assured and every time Butkereit attacked, the French judoka seemed to anticipate it. In fact she countered at the hip for a yuko and very nearly secured the osaekomi-waza, all in the first minute. A shocked Butkereit needed a change of plan!
Nothing Miriam Butkereit tried came close to disturbing Eme who looked to be almost in a flow state. She fought with robust tactics, a great feel for her opponent’s intentions and a clear understanding of the rules. She was rewarded with a gold medal, her early yuko being enough to earn her a place on the top of the podium.
After the final Eme said, “I am incredibly happy, especially as I considered retiring from judo two years ago and now I am moving into the world top ten. After a mistake in Dushanbe, my main focus today was to avoid errors and I felt surprisingly energetic. I’ve been able to deliver new techniques from training in competition, such as my ura-nage, which shows my judo is evolving. Beating an Olympic silver medallist in the final was a significant goal for me; I stayed highly focused on my groundwork defence to ensure I could execute my own gameplay. The atmosphere in Kazakhstan is amazing, as the crowd truly appreciates the fighters and the culture of the sport.”
In the first bronze medal contest, Sanne Van Dijke (NED) held nothing back. She dominated in every way and threw Georgia Stangherlin (ITA) with relative ease for a first waza-ari just after the first minute had passed. She transitioned into the hold perfectly and doubled her score, earning the medal in the process.
In the second bronze medal contest, Nauana Silva (BRA) and Aleksandra Kowalewska (POL) began at a high pace. The attacks came thick and fast but the first score wasn’t registered until almost the last minute. Silva took the lead by a single yuko after toppling Kowalewska with an o-uchi-gari. There was little time left for the tables to be turned and Nauana Silva accepted the victory with excitement.
Final (-70 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-70 kg)
