In the final, Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UAE) arrived ready to dominate and put her first attack in as soon as the referee uttered “hajime.” It wasn’t fruitful but the next attacks put Yael Van Heemst (NED) under more and more pressure. After 1 minute and 18 seconds, Lytvynenko authored the inevitable ippon win, a massive hip throw that launched Van Heemst on to her back. This is Lytvynenko’s tenth World Judo Tour medal.
Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko spoke after her category-topping performance,
“Getting my first grand slam triumph in Dushanbe feels unique because the fans here really support and understand judo. I began the day feeling strong and left more in my tank for the final session, to finish on the top of the podium.”
To fight for the first bronze medal of the category, Hongtao Wu (CHN) stepped up to face Marit Kamps (NED), a judoka only present at -78 kg for a short time having moved down, away from the heavyweights. She is already beginning to make her mark and in Dushanbe she looked entirely comfortable among her new peers.
Wu earned the first score, a yuko, but Kamps took no time at all to redress the balance, setting the distance exactly as she needed it to be and applying a fast and powerful o-uchi-gari. Her reward? A waza-ari and the lead.
Kamps held the score until the last seconds ticked away, with an upright posture and positive style; it’s a good new fit for the Dutchwoman and on day three in Dushanbe she has her first grand slam medal at -78 kg, her 7th overall.
The second bronze medal would go to either Maidelines Gorguet-Veranes (ROU) or Alexandra Riabchenko (RUS). It was an uneventful contest marked by a lack of preparation before each attack. This earned the judoka penalties, two each fairly quickly. The third was given to the Romanian athlete and Riabchenko could breathe a sigh of relief; a first grand slam medal was now hers.
Final (-78 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-78 kg)
