On the fifth day of the OTP Bank World Judo Championships Hungary, Murao is the only one of the top 4 to make it all the way to the final. Seeding placed him at the top of the draw and he didn’t falter, not for a second, throwing Sharipov (UZB) with o-uchi-gari and ko-uchi-gari in the second round, throwing Varapayeu (BLR) with o-soto-gari next and then France’s Olympic medallist Ngayap-Hambou was also beaten, placing Murao in the semi-final against one of Georgia’s world champions, Luka Maisuradze.
At no point during the semi-final did Murao look ready to lose. He kept his posture, gripping simply but strongly, responding to every movement from the Georgian with calm professionalism. With 17 seconds left on the clock he threw for ippon with uchi-mata, as if it was not a world champion standing in front of him.
Third and fourth seeds, Macedo (BRA) and Olympic medallist Tselidis (GRE), exited in the second round but the biggest shock of the day came at the hands of Kenny Komi Bedel (ITA), 65th in the world, a single grand slam bronze to his name. He threw double Olympic champion, Georgian star Lasha Bekauri, for a yuko with a minute to go and managed to hold the score under an unenviable barrage. As the time ran out, a mystified look rolled across Bekauri’s face, beaten by Bedel and out of the competition in the round of 16.
Last year’s champion Goki Tajima (JPN) put paid to Bedel’s hope of reaching the final, throwing him in the quarter-final to set up a semi-final against Eljan Hajiyev (AZE), which he also won, throwing for ippon having been a waza-ari down.
Majdov (SRB), Parlati (ITA), Igolnikov (IJF) and Macedo (BRA) out; Bekauri (GEO) out! Every day so far has delivered the most unpredictable losses but this is what makes judo a thrill-seekers sport, one for the adrenalin junkie!
The final block begins at 18:00 local time. Enjoy the spectacle!
Final
Sanshiro Murao (JPN) vs Goki Tajima (JPN)
Bronze medal contests
Klen Kristofer Kaljulaid (EST vs Eljan Hajiyev (AZE)
Kenny Komi Bedel (ITA) vs Luka Maisuradze (GEO)