Uzbekistan once again underlined its strength on day three, reinforcing their lead in the standings with another gold medal, courtesy of Inomjon Bakhodirov in the -81 kg category. Everything about this team seems to be functioning with remarkable precision. The athletes’ preparation has clearly been optimal and their physical presence, tactical discipline and technical execution have been outstanding. Uzbekistan is building a bright future for itself on the world stage.
Close behind, the judoka competing under the IJF flag have also made their mark, collecting three titles so far, each won in convincing fashion.
Japan occupies third place in the medal table now after a slow start. At first glance this may seem surprising but the reality is different; the Japanese have brought a strong but incomplete team to Sofia. Above all, their athletes are here to learn and they will undoubtedly return home with valuable experience and lessons to build upon.
Several athletes from different nations caught the eye yesterday but if one stood out above the rest it was Veljko Varnicic (SRB). The Serbian judoka impressed not only with his technical ability but, perhaps even more significantly, with his tactical maturity, remarkable for a cadet. Throughout the day he executed his coach’s instructions with rigour.
In the final against Japan’s representative, his sole focus was to control the left sleeve. He never wavered and when the moment came, he crossed the grip and launched a devastating sumi-gaeshi. Earlier, in a golden score situation where he had already received two penalties, he calmly adjusted his tactical plan and turned the contest in his favour. Quite simply, he was outstanding and is certainly a judoka to watch for the future.
In total, 20 nations have now reached the podium, while 32 have qualified athletes for the repechage and final block. That means 45% of the countries entered have already left their mark on the championships and there is still more to come, with the final day set to showcase the heavyweights: women -70 kg, men -90 kg, women +70 kg and men +90 kg.