The other place in the final was decided after a gruelling golden score contest that lasted more than seven minutes. Matteo Gualandi (ITA) eventually emerged victorious, setting up an exciting clash with Burkhonov.
In the final, it took Khushnudbek Burkhonov only 19 seconds to claim gold with an unstoppable sankaku-jime, executed just as the Italian judoka tried to stand up. A swift and precise victory that shattered all of Gualandi’s hopes. Gold medal to Khushnudbek Burkhonov.
In the semi-final, Mahammadali Husiyev (AZE) narrowly missed out, but he still had a chance to claim a place on the podium. To do so, he had to overcome Adris Jakubauskas (LTU). On an attempted ippon-ko-uchi-gari, Jakubauskas countered perfectly, scoring a strong waza-ari. From there, he only needed to withstand his opponent’s attacks to secure the bronze medal — which he did superbly, adding a further yuko to guarantee his place on the podium.
Host nation Bulgaria, meanwhile, placed its hopes in Ivo Galenkov (BUL), who faced Aleksei Toptygin (IJF) in the second bronze-medal contest. The energy on display was impressive for more than half the contest, with both judoka searching for openings. However, Galenkov soon showed a slight vulnerability to foot sweeps, finding himself off balance several times at the end of exchanges. Nothing truly dangerous emerged, until Aleksei Toptygin unleashed a perfect de-ashi-barai, sending Galenkov crashing onto his back and silencing the arena in an instant. Bronze medal for Aleksei Toptygin.
Final (-55 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-55 kg)
