Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo and Gankhaich Bold were reluctant to put themselves at risk against an adversary they know well. The contest lacked pace and began to earn penalties, two each way by full time. In golden score the third penalty was given to Lkhagvatogoo and so Bold could breathe a sigh of relief; the gold was hers. Mongolia arrived with the top two athletes and left with the gold and the silver. This is a perfect day for their team!
After the final Gankhaich Bold said, “We know and respect each other very well. It was a tough match and we did not surprise each other. Competing in Dushanbe is always a pleasure though and with this gold, I have extra motivation for Astana.”
Lubjana Piovesana (AUT) missed out on a place in the final after a golden score battle in her semi-final against Gankhaich Bold but came back raring to go in her bronze medal contest against Nina Simic (CRO). It took her less that half the allotted time to set-up a perfect shime-waza entry, Scoring ippon meant a 6th grand slam medal would be added to her profile.
In the second bronze medal contest Louna-Loumia Seikkula (FIN) and Yeji Kim (KOR) arrived on the tatami with very different styles. Initially Kim seemed to be edging ahead with a fast pace and a dangerous o-uchi-gari but the Finnish competitor took the measure of the task quickly and before the halfway point launched an unorthodox kata-guruma, similar to those of superstar Saeid Mollaei. It was a clear ippon and Seikkula could be satisfied with her first grand slam medal, a bronze in Dushanbe.
Final (-63 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-63 kg)
