In the next round, Nadine Chiraz Dahoumane (ALG) also fell to Yuksel’s deadly groundwork, conceding another ippon by strangle. In the semi-final, Alina Kolucheva (UZB) tried to halt the Turkish judoka’s momentum, but once again Yuksel was unshakeable. A decisive kata-guruma gave her a waza-ari, an advantage she held until the end of the contest.
In the other half of the draw, none of the favourites managed to advance; all of them, including Fenne Peeters (BEL) and Maja Radics (HUN), were eliminated by outsiders. Among them, it was Uzbekistan’s Dilafruz Boltaboeva who impressed the most. She booked her spot in the final after a fierce yuko scored in golden score against Emiliia Saifutdinova (IJF) in the semi-final.
The final brought together Sema Nur Yuksel (TUR) and Dilafruz Boltaboeva (UZB). Smaller than her opponent, Yuksel’s challenge was to be faster and more powerful than Boltaboeva, something she set about doing from the very start. The first half of the final passed without scores until Yuksel eventually received a first penalty. With only that penalty on the scoreboard, the two judoka entered golden score and everything was still to play for. However, at the beginning of extra time Yuksel was penalised again, putting her in a precarious position. Unable to regain the initiative, she was heading towards a dangerous third shido when a final uchi-mata attempt from Dilafruz Boltaboeva earned a decisive yuko, securing her the world title.
For the first bronze medal, Khulan Bayarzul (MGL) faced Emiliia Saifutdinova (IJF). Bayarzul opened the contest with an opportunistic o-uchi-gari, scoring an early yuko that caught Saifutdinova off guard completely. Much of the bout unfolded on the ground, with no further score but solid control displayed by both judoka. In the end, it was that initial yuko which secured Khulan Bayarzul (MGL) the first medal of these world championships.
Fenne Peeters (BEL) and Alina Kolucheva (UZB) also had a final opportunity to reach the podium, in the second bronze medal contest. Following Kolucheva’s disqualification, the medal went to Fenne Peeters.
Final (-40 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-40 kg)
