In the second round, Thomas Scharfetter (AUT) proved a stubborn opponent but eventually conceded by two yuko scores. A waza-ari and two more yuko throws against Boris Rutovic (SRB) then secured Murao’s place in the semi-final, where he added another victory against Adam Kopecky (CZE). Perhaps not the most spectacular version of Murao, but one of formidable efficiency. If he had come to Ulaanbaatar in search of valuable contest time, he certainly found it.
Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou (FRA) was one of the great surprises of the French team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Against all expectations, he captured a magnificent bronze medal in front of a passionate home crowd. Following his European bronze medal in April this season, he arrived in Ulaanbaatar with growing confidence and used his international experience on the grand slam stage to progress to the semi-finals. The final step proved too high for Ngayap Hambou however, as Jonghoon Kim (KOR) stopped the Frenchman’s impressive run to book his place in the final against Murao.
The final promised to be explosive. There was little suspense though as Murao quickly took control of the contest. A first waza-ari came from an o-soto-gari combined with a sudden change of direction, before the Japanese star immediately followed with a hold-down for ippon. It was the ninth grand slam gold medal of his career.
Murao declared, "It’s great to win today but I still have things to work on as I look ahead to the world championships in October. When I threw my opponent successfully, honestly, I just felt a massive wave of relief. While this is the first step toward the LA Olympics, my focus is entirely on the upcoming world championships in Baku. My goal is to go there and take the gold. To do that, I need to beat my biggest rival, Lasha Bekauri. I’ve never beaten him, so he’s the opponent I want to win against the most.
Winning here in Mongolia also means a lot. I’m a big fan of sumo and seeing how many Mongolian athletes compete in Japan creates a special connection for me, making this victory feel incredibly rewarding."
Boris Rutovic (SRB) and Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou (FRA) faced each other in the first bronze medal contest. It was a hard-fought battle with great commitment from both judoka. With a beautiful sumi-gaeshi, Rutovic took the lead with a waza-ari and added a yuko in the final moments of the contest to secure his second grand slam medal.
Murad Fatiyev (AZE) and Adam Kopecky (CZE) also had a chance to climb onto the podium. After a scoreless opening period, it took only a few seconds for Fatiyev to then score twice, first with a tai-otoshi and then with a counter. It was a flawless victory for the Azerbaijani, who claimed the bronze medal.
Final (-90 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-90 kg)
