Serikbayev puts Kazakhstan at the top

Five nations appear at the top end of the medal table with the gold medals split among them evenly at the Zagreb Judo Grand Prix. However, it was Kazakhstan that finished top after Nurkanat Serikbayev’s won the men’s -66 kg gold medal was accompanied by two silvers, earned by Aman Bakytzhan in the men’s -60 kg and Galiya Tynbaeva in the women’s -48 kg.

in the -66kg, Brazilian Ronald Lima was outstanding, throwing with precision and textbook timing. Serikbayev needed to do everything to stop him with his pressuring style and full-body attacks.

Lima looked to be leading the contest from the beginning but Serikbayev stayed composed and determined throughout. Lima’s rich mix of techniques could have been concerning to him but he managed perfectly for two minutes, defending well while keeping his own attack rate high enough.

At the halfway point, Serikbayev finally managed to get close to Lima, securing the arm-pit grips. He attacked with a strong sumi-gaeshi, controlling his opponent until the last moment of the technique. Ippon was given and Serikbayev had beaten the odds to earn his place on the top of the podium.

“This is my first grand prix ever and I am extremely happy to take the gold medal today,” said Serikbayev.

“This winning method against Ronald Lima was a tactical strategy planned with my coaching team. As it was our first time meeting and fighting in such a contest, I am thrilled that it ended successfully.”

Wei Yang does it again!

Taiwanese Yung Wei Yang won his Olympic silver medal several years ago, in Tokyo, but he remains fast and dangerous and capable of winning big medals. Any opponent is aware of his abilities to score from anywhere. In Zagreb it was Bakytzhan who would meet the challenge in the men’s -60kg final.

Wei Yang was under pressure from the less well decorated Kazakh right from the beginning. Bakytzhan showed great focus and confidence which led him to attack with a very strong seoi-otoshi that caught Yang for a waza-ari. Unfazed, Wei Yang responded with an incredibly precise ko-uchi to earn himself an equaliser.

As the contest went into golden score, Wei Yang began to take better control of the kumi-kata phases, neutralising Bakytzhan’s attacks well. The Kazakh fighter picked up two penalties to line up with the two Wei Yang earned in the first part of the contest. It took seven minutes of extra time for the third penalty to decide the contest and it arrived on Bakytzhan’s side of the board. Wei Yang now has another medal to add to his impressive collection.

After the final, Wei Yang spoke openly, “I took the victory by keeping up my daily training, never giving up, and constantly refining my technique through competition, today is finally my day. I want to thank my team, family, brother, and school for all their help and love. My future goal is to win an Olympic gold medal, and I believe I can do it.

Scutto stays on top

Assunta Scutto has spoken recently about her psychological development in recent months. Since this year’s Lima Grand Prix we have seen a revitalised champion who had, prior to that, been suffering since her world championship title. The work has been extensive and successful and now she is showing her best form again.

Scutto took silver at the 2926 World Championships after her gold in Lima and in Zagreb she secured a new golden opportunity.

He final match against Tynbaeva was an all-action contest from the beginning but a counter from Scutto earned the first score of the four allotted minutes. However, as they stood up, Tynbaeva caught Scutto for her own yuko and so all was even again.

As the judoka moved into the last minute, Scutto employed her signature seoi-otoshi and gained a new yuko and the lead. Tynbaeva accelerated further in response but this gave her balance to the Italian again and she countered beautifully for a waza-ari. Scutto’s three scores were a clear lead and the gold was hers as the gong sounded.

After the final Assunta Scutto said, “Zagreb is my first pain-free competition since the World Championships and I’m so happy to enjoy it and recover my shoulder. Zagreb is wonderful but I made a mistake by losing focus and need to improve that, staying focused always in the future. My dream for the World Judo Masters is to have another world championship feeling. I am a two-time bronze medallist and I want to win and get a rematch with Koga.”

Gyertyas’ groundwork is the game-changer

From the first contests of the women’s -52kg category, Hungarian Roza Gyertyas looked to be the athlete to watch. Strong, focused and enjoying the ride, she ploughed through the group with a perfect mix of tactics, ne-waza and expert gripping. Naomi Van Krevel would have an uphill battle in the final.

Gyertyas was the author of an impressive preliminary session and the break before the final block didn’t dull her sparkle at all.

After less than two minutes of contest time, Guertyas applied a very well drilled turnover to secure the osaekomi she needed against the Netherland’s Naomi Van Krevel. She didn’t need to wait for the full 20 seconds as Van Krevel submitted.

Before leaving the arena with her new gold medal, Roza Gyertyas said, “After struggling to focus through my difficult first two contests, I treated the final like a regular contest, mentally, to stay relaxed and secure the grand prix gold. Having my family and coaches present provided vital motivation and power rather than pressure and I plan to celebrate my victory and postponed birthday with them.”

Nascimento takes her first World Judo Tour gold

The top seed in the women’s -57kg was knocked out early and her nemesis then also went out; Flaka Loxha pf Kosovo finished only in seventh place. The field was open and it would take a courageous performance to step into the limelight.

Inbal Shemesh of Israel and Shirlen Nascimento of Brazil gave of their very best throughout the morning session with the aim of rising to the top.

In the first exchange of the contest Nascimento attacked with a seoi-mate that was a bit too high, easily defended, but she didn’t stop there. The Brazilian judoka continued to work and transitioned beautifully into a shime-waza that gave Shemesh no chance at all. This was the fastest final of the day!

Shirlen Nascimento spoke ahead of the medal presentation, “I am very happy! It’s an achievement that is very important to me, my first gold medal on the World Judo Tour. I am grateful to everyone who helps me. I went through a difficult moment but that’s how judo is. The final was very tough but I can’t wait to repeat my success again; I want to reach many more finals.”