The women’s lightweight divisions featured some of the circuit’s most dynamic judoka, including Catarina Costa (POR) at -48 kg and Ayumi Leiva Sanchez (ESP) at -52 kg, both aiming to reaffirm their status among the world’s elite. Meanwhile, Amandine Buchard’s (FRA) daring move into the -57 kg category was one of the day’s most intriguing stories. On the men’s side, Michel Augusto (BRA) at -60 kg and Julien Frascadore (CAN) at -66 kg led the charge, each determined to turn strong early performances into podium finishes. With 284 athletes from 48 nations competing in total, day one undoubtedly delivered a perfect blend of intensity, technique and unpredictability. Here is what happened during the preliminary rounds.
-48 kg: Gilly and Vargas Ley Shine in an Unpredictable Draw
Things began slowly but positively for top seed Catarina Costa (POR), who opened with a win by two yuko scores against Anat Tsyrlin (USA). However, in the following round, Costa stumbled against Alexia Nascimento (BRA) after receiving a third penalty. In pool B Sarah Ischt (GER) was the favourite but it was Coralie Gilly (FRA) who took the upper hand in the quarter-final, scoring a small yuko halfway through the contest with a well-executed ko-uchi-gari. In pool C, Maria Celia Laborde (USA) won her opening bout through tactical discipline but was later defeated by Konul Aliyeva (AZE) with penalties working against her this time. Finally, in pool D, the hierarchy was respected as Mary Dee Vargas Ley (CHI) qualified smoothly for the semi-finals. Riding that momentum, she continued her run to reach her second consecutive World Judo Tour final, an impressive performance! In the final, she would meet Coralie Gilly (FRA) who had earned her place after a solid victory over Alexia Nascimento (BRA).
-60 kg: Ashpiz Breaks Through to His First World Judo Tour Final
Michel Augusto (BRA) did his job, advancing from the opening round against Juan Ayala (ECU), thanks to a waza-ari from kata-guruma. In the next bout, he faced Vincent Limare (FRA) who posed serious problems for him. After an endless golden score period, it was the Brazilian judoka who secured a place in the semi-final, where he faced Izhak Ashpiz (ISR). Though not among the favourites, Ashpiz had already caused an upset by defeating recent world junior medallist Jonathan Yang (USA) in the first round, a valuable learning experience for the young American. Riding that momentum, Ashpiz created a second surprise by defeating Augusto to reach his first-ever World Judo Tour final, a remarkable achievement for the 2023 world cadet champion, in Zagreb. In the lower half of the draw, Jorre Verstraeten (BEL) began the day well but surprisingly fell to Jhonathan Benavides (ECU), who, despite having two penalties to his name, produced a freeing tai-otoshi in golden score to reach the semi-finals, where he met Ahmad Yusifov (AZE). It was ultimately Yusifov who prevailed to join Ashpiz in the final.
-52 kg: A Brazilian Domination in Lima
In the early rounds, the world ranking order was largely respected, with three of the four top seeds reaching the quarter-finals. The first of them, Ayumi Leiva Sanchez (ESP), progressed to the semi-finals after defeating Brillith Gamarra (PER). Evelyn Beaton (CAN) also advanced through the opening round but was then eliminated by Gabriela Conceicao (BRA). At the bottom of the draw, the other Brazilian, Jessica Pereira, advanced as expected, while the fourth seed, Gefen Primo (ISR) was ousted early by Khadizha Gadashova (AZE). The semi-finals therefore saw Ayumi Leiva Sanchez (ESP) facing Gabriela Conceicao (BRA) on one side and Khadizha Gadashova (AZE) meeting Jessica Pereira (BRA) on the other. In the end, it would be an all-Brazilian final as both Gabriela Conceicao and Jessica Pereira overcame their semi-final opponents to set up a thrilling clash for gold.
-66 kg: Frascadore’s Breakthrough Performance
Not among the top favourites but ranked within the tournament’s top eight, Julien Frascadore (CAN) showed no intimidation when facing top seed Ronald Lima, defeating him to reach the semi-final after scoring a waza-ari from seoi-otoshi having been trailing by a yuko. There, he met Rashad Yelkiyev (AZE) who had eliminated the solid Spanish judoka David Garcia Torne in the quarter-final. The Canadian judoka, in outstanding form today, produced another powerful effort to reach the final. On the other side of the draw another Azerbaijani, Ruslan Pashayev, qualified to face Valerio Accogli (ITA), who had also defeated world bronze medallist Luukas Saha (FIN) in the opening round. Unfortunately for Pashayev, he suffered the same fate as his compatriot, losing and having to settle for a potential bronze medal. The final was therefore set between Julien Frascadore (CAN) and Valerio Accogli (ITA).
-57 kg: Buchard’s Bold Move Pays Off
No-one saw it coming! Amandine Buchard, world and Olympic medallist, usually competes in the -52 kg category but here in Lima, she made an audacious choice to step up to -57 kg. It was a first for this exceptional champion and as a result she was not among the pre-tournament favourites. Her first bout set the tone; a yuko from kata-guruma against Kiara Arango (PER). In the next round she faced Astrid Gavidia (ECU) and again prevailed, once more using her favourite technique, followed by an arm lock. Next came the real test, a showdown with top seed Shirlen Nascimento (BRA). The contest was intense, swinging back and forth, with several yuko scores awarded and later annulled as the difference between the two judoka remained razor-thin. Eventually, Buchard secured victory, once again with her signature kata-guruma, to reach the semi-final, where she faced another Brazilian, Jessica Lima. In the lower half of the draw, fellow Frenchwoman Faiza Mokdar advanced confidently through her contests to reach the other semi-final, where she met seasoned international medallist Timna Nelson Levy (ISR). The semi-final proved one-sided; Mokdar appeared untouchable, never in danger and won by a yuko. The other semi-final closed the morning session with a contest of rare intensity between Buchard and Lima. Physically dominated but resilient and tactically sharp, Buchard once again managed to execute her kata-guruma during golden score to secure victory and reach her first-ever World Judo Tour final in this weight category. A 100% French final was thus set.