Everything began with the early elimination of one of the favourites, Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov (UAE), who was stopped in his opening contest by Manuel Lombardo (ITA). In what had been a rather tactical contest, the Italian produced a magnificent ura-nage to score and eliminate the highly ranked judoka. Unfortunately for Lombardo, his Mongolian adventure ended in the next round and it was eventually Uranbayar Odgerel (MGL) who progressed to the semi-final. He was joined by the American Jack Yonezuka.
Yonezuka was certainly not an unknown name on the World Judo Tour, but his victory over Odgerel marked the first time he had reached a grand slam final. Even before stepping onto the tatami for the gold medal contest, he had already guaranteed himself a first medal at this level. Before arriving in Ulaanbaatar, Yonezuka had competed in 25 grand slams, with a fifth place and two seventh places as his best results. His breakthrough in Mongolia was therefore a perfect illustration that perseverance and patience can eventually be rewarded.
On the lower half of the draw, the absence of Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov (AZE) left the path wide open. It took time for the picture to become clear but after a series of close contests, it was the second Mongolian athlete, Ankhzaya Lavjargal (MGL), who secured his place in the final, overcoming young British judoka Irakli Goginashvili (GBR) in a very tight semi-final. For Lavjargal, it was also a first appearance in a grand slam final.
After a demanding and intense day, the two finalists displayed incredible physical resources, maintaining a high pace throughout the four minutes of normal time before continuing for more than two additional minutes in golden score. Then, with a moment of inspiration and perfect opportunism, Lavjargal found the opening to throw Yonezuka with uchi-mata. The moment the Mongolian crowd had been waiting for had finally arrived. After two bronze medals, the host nation celebrated its first gold medal of the tournament, won by Ankhzaya Lavjargal in front of a jubilant home crowd.
As he left the tatami, Ankhzaya Lavjargal declared, "I am so happy and grateful to have won my very first grand slam gold medal right here in my own country. Standing on the mat during such a tough fight, especially when it went deep into golden score against Jack Yonezuka, I kept pushing forward by reminding myself how incredibly hard I trained for this exact contest. Hearing the hundreds of people cheering, shouting my name and celebrating the victory, gave me so much energy. I am so proud that my hard work paid off. I don't quite know how I am going to celebrate this achievement just yet, but thank you all so much for your incredible support and cheers. Winning this Olympic qualification event at home means everything and I am excited to keep moving forward on my journey toward the Los Angeles Olympics.
Bulgaria’s Victor Sterev (BUL) and Great Britain’s Irakli Goginashvili (GBR) met in the first bronze medal contest. The four minutes of normal time produced very little to separate the two athletes and it was therefore golden score that decided the outcome. In the end, Victor Skerlev prevailed after overcoming the strong resistance of the young British judoka.
Mukhamed Aloev (BRN) and Uranbayar Odgerel (MGL) faced each other in the second bronze medal contest. It was another opportunity for Mongolia to add a medal to its tally after Ankhzaya Lavjargal’s triumph in the final.
Final (-73 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-73 kg)
