“I think it is the day of the waza-ari! At the end of the preliminaries, more than half of the fights on tatami 2, for example, finished with waza-ari, some also with two. There were not so many direct or accumulated hansoku-make losses. There were some golden scores but most were not long. There was just one long one, with more than ten minutes of extra time, between the judoka from UAE and Kazakhstan at -66 kg. The UAE fighter was leading by 2 penalties in normal time but in extra time both attacked. The Kazakh judoka came back into it and evened up the shido scoreline before finally finishing with a hold from a dynamic exchange. It was a very tough fight and both had very positive moments.
Also, we saw so many seoi-otoshi attacks through the day while sumi-gaeshi was also used well. Many countered with it without losing the feeling of situations, applying their movements continuously and often logically. This is a lesson to youngsters, to take control of your destiny by yourself and not wait for the shido to decide. Figueroa (ESP) gave a great example of this against the world number one, Scutto (ITA).
Some strong participants went out earlier than they should. Seeing Smetov (KAZ) go out when in a leading position in the quarter-final at -60 kg, due to the application of kata sankaku, was a reminder that all athletes must adapt quickly to rule updates and ensure they keep each other safe; it is their responsibility. It was a direct hansoku-make and so he goes directly out. This was a big mistake on a day when he was having a great competition.
In the round before, Smetov fought Chkhvimiani (GEO), both world champions, in a fantastic encounter. It was real dominance from Smetov with waza-ari and then ippon from very dynamic judo. Yes there were some penalties registered but he had two positive scores and showed a great deal of control.
I watched Babulfath (SWE) and remember her final in Baku against Nikolic. Today she did the job again and did it even better. She is learning and developing at every appearance. Another young one, Pardayeva (TKM), reached her semi-final in the -52 kg category and is also making impressive progress.
Another surprise came from Juraeva (UZB), unknown before today. She made the crowd happy, especially passing Olympic and world medallist Chelsie Giles (GBR). In Paris it was Mokdar but here it was Juraev who decided to take full advantage of being at home, perhaps inspired by friends and family and national pride. It’s good to see.
Everyone here is fighting hard for points, this event being among the last chances to win their places in Paris. Giliazova, Figueroa, for example, really pushed themselves and did well. Buchard (FRA) showed real elegance even when losing in her opening contest. She gave a first class tactical lesson with no panic and caused her opponent to make many mistakes, carrying the Frenchwoman through; very intelligent judo.”
Intelligent judo, dynamic judo; these are the elements we look for and today we found them.