His run was stopped in the semi-final by Said Sadrudinov (BRN), who produced a superbly timed ippon. Kotsoiev acknowledged the quality of the attack immediately, shaking his opponent’s hand before turning his focus to the bronze medal contest. Respect and honour, values at the heart of judo, were on full display.
Sadrudinov advanced to the final, where he faced one of the day’s great surprises, Ernazar Sarsenbaev (UZB). The local athlete had thrilled the Humo Arena’s crowds with bold, attacking judo throughout the day. As the two finalists stepped onto the tatami, the crowd erupted, chanting “Uz-bek-is-tan” in unison. A first shido against Sarsenbaev did little to quieten the noise. When he scored the opening yuko, the arena exploded with celebration.
Time seemed to slow as the seconds ticked away. Sarsenbaev controlled the exchanges and appeared to be mastering his opponent’s aggression. With only ten seconds remaining, gold seemed within reach. Then, in a dramatic final assault, Sadrudinov launched a powerful o-soto-gari and scored ippon, crushing the home hopes in an instant. It was the first grand slam gold medal for Bahrain ever. Congratulations!
In the first bronze medal contest, Juyeop Han (KOR) faced Simeon Catharina (NED). An early waza-ari from a powerful seoi-otoshi proved decisive, securing bronze for the Korean.
Kotsoiev, meanwhile, still had business to attend to. To reach the podium, he had to defeat Adam Sangariev (RUS). For much of the contest, the Olympic champion struggled to find his rhythm. Sangariev offered few openings, but Kotsoiev was not at his explosive best either. With the bout slipping towards a narrow conclusion, he finally found the perfect timing in the closing seconds, launching a powerful makikomi for ippon.
Great champions are not always at their peak, but they reveal themselves in difficult moments. Bronze was not the objective for Kotsoiev, yet by the end of a demanding day, it carried real value.
Final (-100 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-100 kg)
