Meeting Basile in the final was Dnail Lavrentev (RUS), a judoka who had given a solid account of himself. He arrived in a seeding position and confirmed his ability.
The contest began with kumi-kata at the centre of the debate. They had studied each other well and were ensuring it was as difficult as possible for each other to score.
Just past the halfway point Basile reached for his trademark o-uchi-gari and was rewarded with a yuko. Looking focussed and ready to defend it, he continued to hold the lead almost until the end, but Lavrentev was not finished and equalised with his own o-uchi-gari.
As they went into golden score, an error in the positioning put Basile at risk and Lavrentev capitalised, hooking in and throwing for ippon. It was a gold medal for Danil Lavrentev, his first ever at this level, and a silver for Basile, his first for a long time.
After the final Danil Lavrentev said, “Winning my first title here in Kazakhstan feels amazing, especially as the support from the local people has been incredible and I love the country. Although my opponent is a highly experienced Olympic champion and he began better, I felt well-prepared and superior on the day. Following my bronze medal in Tajikistan last week, I am delighted to have secured my first grand slam gold.”
Angsarbek Gainullin was empowered by his crowd and the atmosphere they brought with them. He fought brilliantly all day and as he strode into the arena for his bronze medal contest, he looked determined to overcome Vlad Mitru (MDA) for a place on the podium.
Mitru did well to escape Gainullin’s attacks but concentrating at the highest level for the full time is tough and he bagged to make small mistakes. Gainullin was clearly inspired by his situation and didn’t pull back for a second. As they went into golden score he was leading by two penalties to one. A minute later, Mitru took his third shido and Kazakhstan’s Angsarbek Gainullin could absorb the applause knowing that the medal was his.
In the second bronze medal contest Ankhzaya Lavjargal (MGL) and Rashid Mammadaliyev (AZE) went after the medal with high energy but a lack of preparation ahead of attacks. It was tricky for either to gain enough momentum to score. Eventually Lavjargal registered a minor landing and earned a yuko. He then defended well enough to protect the score and was able to walk towards the podium at the end of a challenging day.
Final (-73 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-73 kg)
