It did not take long for Bliev to take a firm hold on the final, scoring a waza-ari within seconds. Enkhtaivan threw everything forward in an attempt to catch up but today Bliev was in complete control, managing the contest with authority to capture the third grand slam title of his career.
Jorre Verstraeten (BEL) earned a chance to reach the podium against Giorgi Sardalashvili (GEO). The Georgian judoka was pushed to his limits as he accumulated two penalties, but he managed to produce an opportunistic yoko-guruma in the final seconds, scoring waza-ari to claim the bronze in dramatic fashion.
The second bronze medal contest brought together Salih Yildiz (TUR) and Ahmad Yusifov (AZE). As the contest entered its final minute, the situation could not have been more balanced, with each judoka holding a yuko and a shido. Golden score was needed to separate them.
At the very beginning of extra time, Yildiz picked up a second penalty, increasing the pressure, but it did not prevent him from executing an almost perfect kata-guruma, awarded waza-ari, to secure the bronze medal.
Final (-60 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-60 kg)
