IJF Grand Slam

2026 Abu Dhabi GS: Day 3

2026 Abu Dhabi GS: Day 3

-90kg: Ivanov (BUL)
Mihail Latisev (MDA) started off well, securing a pin after attacking with a drop sode. The match could have ended right there and then but Ivaylo Ivanov (BUL) managed to escape, conceding only a yuko. Then Ivanov was thrown with a sleeve drop seoi-nage for waza-ari. Ivanov had less than two minutes left to reclaim the situation. He scored with kouchi-gake for waza-ari.  And then he threw with cross-grip drop seoi for waza-ari-awasete-ippon. A fantastic comeback after conceding two scores in the first half of the match.

-78kg Gold: Lytvynenko (UAE)
Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UAE) gave the home crowd something to cheer about. She had a tough opponent in the form of Patricia Sampaio (POR). Their match went into Golden Score. After about three minutes, Sampaio launched into a drop osoto-seoi-otoshi combination which Lytvynenko countered for a waza-ari and the win.  It was the perfect finish for the host nation, a gold medal on the final day of competition in Abu Dhabi.

-100kg Gold: Bifov (RUS)
Aurelien Diesse (FRA) used osoto-gari to score yuko against Idar Bifov (RUS) and then proceeded to do newaza. It turned out to be a mistake. Bifov turned the tables on him and rolled him into a juji-gatame position, eventually securing a submission for ippon. 

+78kg Gold: Vukovic (CRO)
Helena Vukovic (CRO) gave Raz Hershko (ISR) a tough fight that went into Golden Score. With neither player able to score, it went down to penalties. Hershko got her third shido after more than a minute in Golden Score, giving Vukovic her first Grand Slam gold.

+100kg: Demetrashvili (GEO)
It took Irakli Demetrashvili (GEO) just a little more than a minute to throw Ushangi Kokauri (AZE) with a wrong-leg tai-otoshi which scored waza-ari and then pinned him for another 10-seconds for waza-ari-awasete-ippon.

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IJF Grand Slam2026 Abu Dhabi GS: Day 3

2026 Abu Dhabi GS: Day 3

On the third and final day, it was a gold each for Bulgaria, UAE, Russia, Croatia and Georgia.

IJF Grand Slam2026 Abu Dhabi GS: Day 2

2026 Abu Dhabi GS: Day 2

On Day, the medals were spread among Poland, Morocco, Portugal and Moldova.

IJF Grand Slam2026 Abu Dhabi GS: Day 1

2026 Abu Dhabi GS: Day 1

On Day 1, two golds for Azerbaijan and one gold each for Croatia, Bahrain and France.

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