In the final Kamila Berlikash gave the host nation hope of a gold medal, but Elis Startseva (RUS) was unwilling to concede. In fact she worked fast and with well-drilled technique to make space to armlock Berlikash in just over a minute. The crowd were not happy but good judo must always be appreciated and today Startseva earned her place on the top step of the podium.
After the final Elis Startseva said, “Winning gold in Kazakhstan is an incredible feeling and I am so grateful to the fans for their amazing support. I stayed focused on my own judo and strategy which helped me manage the pressure of the final. This victory is a result of the hard work put in by our entire team and our coach.”
The first contest for a bronze medal was largely uneventful. Erica Simonetti (ITA) and Adiyasuren Amarsaikhan (MGL) battled hard but cancelled each other out, leaving the result to be decided on penalties. 1-1, 2-1, 2-2 and finally 3-2 in favour of Amarsaikhan.
The second bronze medal contest was fought between Tiziana Marini (ITA) and Aida Toishibekova (KAZ), both looking for their first World Judo Tour medal. Toishibekova was by far the more positive of the two but she couldn’t find a way to make any of her attacks land.
Marini was defending well but in the process earned penalties as no attacks accompanied her avoidance of Toishibekova’s. Eventually the medal was assigned to Kazakhstan.
Final (+78 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (+78 kg)
