-48kg Gold: Zhuang (CHN)
The top favorite was Hui Xinran (CHN) but in the end it was another Chinese player, Zhuang Wenna, who delivered the gold. Her opponent in the final, Tugce Beder (TUR) scored first with yoko-tomoe-nage for yuko. Zhuang struck back with osoto-gari for waza-ari. Then, at the edge of the mat, when Beder tried to do a yoko-guruma, Zhuang managed to land on her and was given waza-ari-awasete-ippon.
Said Zhuang: “It is so exciting that I won. Although the fans supported me throughout the day, they also put me under a lot of pressure. It means everything to me to have won here in front of my family and friends because Qingdao is my home. I am delighted to have brought gold to China.”
-52kg Gold: Fujishiro (JPN)
Kokoro Fujishiro is Japan other player (besides Uta Abe) who is in the top 10. Like her teammate, Abe, Fujishiro also likes to do sode-tsurikomi-goshi. It was with this technique that she took down Germany’s Mascha Ballhaus for waza-ari. She immediately followed that up with an attempt to do the Huizinga Roll. But when Ballhaus straightened out her arm to try to prevent the roll, Fujishiro seamlessly switched to waki-gatame instead, to get the submission.
Said Fujishiro: “I am incredibly happy. Although I have won other tournaments before, this is my first Grand Prix title. Looking ahead to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, the selection process is not yet completely clear, so my goal is simply to perform consistently well at every competition and continue building my ranking step by step. I know Uta Abe is an exceptionally strong athlete in my weight category and always aims to win, but I am determined not to lose. My focus is on winning my own contests and becoming stronger every day. To help me do that, I always travel with my lucky charm, a doll called 'Yuki-chan'. She feels like a friend to me. Having her by my side gives me confidence and helps me stay calm before my contests.”
-57kg Gold: Pardayeva (TKM)
Maysa Pardayeva was unseeded and had to fight five fights to get into the final. There she met the strong French player Martha Fawaz. But Pardayeva, who was really a surprise finalist, proved to be stronger. In Golden Score, when Fawaz tried to do an uchimata, Pardayeva responded with a massive ura-nage for ippon.
Said Pardayeva: “It has always been my biggest dream to take first place in judo. This is my very first gold medal on the international stage, and I am incredibly proud of it. Achieving this major success in an international competition has only fueled my desire and motivation to compete in the Olympic Games. My next goal now is to win a gold medal at the 34th Olympic Games.”
