Japan took three gold medals on day one and that kept them at the top of the medal table throughout; by the middle of day 3 it was clear that they couldn’t be caught, largely due to the universality of the event. Prior to the last final block, 19 countries had already won medals, further additions were pending too.
That diversity was indeed extended, not least by a gold medal for Guinea, a first gold on the World Judo Tour for this African country. The Tips Arena had the pleasure of enjoying a new national anthem and it was accompanied by Branser’s smile which filled the whole venue. After the medal ceremony Branser said, “Today, this International Women’s Day, is a special day for all of us but this medal shows there is hope in sport for all young African girls and so it’s even more special.”
Guinea was one of two new countries added to the 2026 Upper Austria Grand Prix medal table on day 3, a broad spread across 4 continents. Congratulations to the African Judo Union!
Now that the Upper Austria Grand Prix has come to a close, it is necessary to thank the local organisers, the Austrian Judo Federation and, of course, the extraordinary band of volunteers who kept all cogs oiled throughout the event.
The IJF now moves from Austria to Georgia and the highly anticipated Tbilisi Grand Slam. Annually, this is a spectacular tournament, combining passion, skill and commitment on an awesome scale. Stay abreast of all results, statistics, replays and video interviews on the IJF’s comprehensive platform JudoTV. There is much to enjoy!