The Preliminaries in Astana - Day Three

This has been a morning of judo marked by massive throws and spotlit characters, applauded throughout from the stands full of judo fans who really appreciate high level sport.

-90 kg

Top seed Rafael Macedo (BRA) and his compatriot Guilherme Schimidt made sure there would be Brazilian representation in the final. Drawn on the same half of the sheet, they flew through the rounds until they could meet each other, in the semi-final. It was the lower ranked of the two who won, on penalties, but both would be present in the final block.

World medallist and 3-time Olympian Frank De Wit (NED) reminded us of his ability, passing strong opponents to arrive at a semi-final he may have thought was his. The 30-year-old Dutchman came a cropper though against teenager Boris Rutovic who, from a yuko apiece curled himself underneath De Wit to throw for ippon. A moment of exuberance followed as Rutovic realised he had placed himself in a World Judo Tour final for the first time.

Let’s also note the excellent performance of local fighter Aidar Arapov (KAZ). He was the man who removed 4th seed Egor Malkin (RUS) from the draw to make way, in the end, for Schimidt, who beat the 23-year-old Kazakh. He will face Frank De Wit for a bronze medal.

-78 kg

The German duo of Anna Monta Olek and Alina Boehm went one step further than the Brazilian pair. They began the day as first and second seed and they would finish the day fighting for gold. No-one came close to them. Both know that they will be each other’s only rival through the Olympic qualification period. It is not too early to think about this.

For Boehm, she has done this before. She pushed Wagner right to the wire on the road to Paris in 2024 and now Olek has moved ahead of her in the rankings as this cycle takes an important turn. This final in Astana will offer information and realisation to both athletes.

-100 kg

The Dutch team was hoping for their own derby in this category. Having had a great first day in Kazakhstan with women’s medals from Gersjes and Van De Meeberg, it was the turn of Michael Korrel and Simeon Catharina, the latter just back from winning silver at the European Championships, to add to the positive image of their team but they fell just slightly short. They would each fight for a bronze medal but it was Vadim Ghimbovschi (MDA) and Marat Baikamurov (KAZ) who worked their way into the gold medal contest.

Catharina is having a great run, delivering consistent results since the beginning of the year. Fifth place in Paris and Tashkent, a bronze in Tbilisi and then European silver; this is a great trajectory to be on. He will be looking to consolidate with a bronze in Kazakhstan but it won’t be easy as it is number one seed Leonardo Goncalves who will face him in the final block. This is going to be a special series of medal matches!

+78 kg

The home team had high hopes that medals would flow from this category. A full host nation entry of four athletes fought with a background of cheering and applause. Olympian Kamila Berlikash thrilled the crowd as she passed French and Brazilian opponents to reach the semi-final, which she also won. Berlikash would be fighting for gold and the spectators showed their appreciation.

Aida Toishibekova (KAZ) would also compete for a medal for the host nation, a bronze medal contest against Tiziana Marini (ITA). This is a first final block appearance for both of them; there is much at stake.

Marini beat Akerke Ramazanova (KAZ) before losing against the experience of Adiyasuren Amarsaikhan (MGL) who already holds 5 World Judo Tour medals. Amarsaikhan, however, couldn’t solve the challenge set by Elis Startseva (RUS) and lost their shared semi-final setting up a bronze medal contest against Italy’s other representative Erica Simonetti.

+100 kg

This category was all about Inal Tasoev (RUS). Red backpatch in place, he launched the opposition fast logging only a few minutes on the tatami. His place was never in doubt, at least not for him. Perhaps the rest of the heavyweight men knew it too.

Fresh off his fantastic win in Dushanbe last week, Jakub Sordyl (POL) was positive and energised throughout the morning session, but his semi-final against Tasoev was a meeting of two different levels. Tasoev’s finesse overpowered Sordyl and sent him to a fight for third place.

Still, this is an excellent Asian tour for the young Polish athlete. He has already shown that his is a name to be remembered. Hard working and clearly enjoying the ride, Jakub Sordyl is likely to develop into a special judoka; we should follow his progress avidly.

The final block of the last day of the last World Judo Tour event before Olympic qualification opens for the Los Angeles Games was ready. Beginning at 5pm, all the action can be followed via JudoTV.com.