It has long been understood that the men\u2019s -81 kg category is so dense internationally that at each event there could be a new line-up for the medals. In Kazakhstan at the Barysy Judo Grand Slam this was proven to be the case yet again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All four top seeds fell early in the day making way for an unpredictable final block. Gabriel Falcao, Victor Sterpu, Alpha Djalo and Francois Gauthier Drapeau let the medals escape them, not even an appearance in the final block between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the final, Moldovian Petru Pelivan and Zhalgas Kairolla Kazakhstan brought the spectators to their feet. One yuko and then another for Kairolla gave the crowd a glimpse of victory but then 5-time grand slam medallist Pelivan scored his own and things began to look more shaky for the host\u2019s athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the time ticked away Pelivan applied more and more pressure but Kairolla dealt with it perfectly by rolling underneath him with a seoi-otoshi that scored ippon. From 120th in the world and with no previous results at this level, Zhalgas Kairolla has become an instant local hero. He has the gold and is the reason the organisers will hear their national anthem today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kairolla reacted after the final, saying, \u201cIt was really emotional and the most important triumph of my life. Winning in Astana means everything to me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The news that drew gasps in the -73 kg category was the outstanding performance of 2016 Olympic champion Fabio Basile of Italy. He has not been in a World Judo Tour final for several years but his form in Kazakhstan was not up for debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meeting Basile in the final was Russian Dnail Lavrentev. a judoka who had given a solid account of himself. He arrived in a seeding position and confirmed his ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The contest began with kumi-kata at the centre of the debate. They had studied each other well and were ensuring it was as difficult as possible for each other to score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just past the halfway point Basile reached for his trademark o-uchi-gari and was rewarded with a yuko. Looking focussed and ready to defend it, he continued to hold the lead almost until the end, but Lavrentev was not finished and equalised with his own o-uchi-gari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As they went into golden score, an error in the positioning put Basile at risk and Lavrentev capitalised, hooking in and throwing for ippon. It was a gold medal for Danil Lavrentev, his first ever at this level, and a silver for Basile, his first for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the final Danil Lavrentev said, \u201cWinning my first title here in Kazakhstan feels amazing, especially as the support from the local people has been incredible and I love the country. Although my opponent is a highly experienced Olympic champion and he began better, I felt well-prepared and superior on the day. Following my bronze medal in Tajikistan last week, I am delighted to have secured my first grand slam gold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a category that included no less than 5 world medallists, this was always going to be an intense and unpredictable women’s -63kg final listing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joanne Van Lieshout of the Netherlands, Gankhaich Bold of Mongolia, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard of Canada, Rafaela Silva of Brazil and Enkhrilen Lkhagvatogoo of Mongolia could each have laid claim to the gold but when the final block began, one was in the final, three would be fighting for two bronze medals and one was not present. It had been an exciting preliminary session but the serious business of assigning medals was now in play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lkhagvatogoo, twice a world championship bronze medallist earned her place in the final and would be disappointed if she didn\u2019t leave with gold. The less experienced Dali Liluashvili of Russia was the judoka tasked with taking the gold from her, a judoka not short of power or determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liluashvili put Lkhagvatogoo under pressure immediately and a fierce kumi-kata battle ensued. Liluashvili then went one step further and caught the Mongolian for a yuko and so the pace increased further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When leading at this level, every judoka knows their rival will come forward and put them on the back foot as much as possible, searching for equalisers or penalties. In this case Liluashvili defended too vehemently and without any further attacks and so the penalties mounted up, the third arriving with only 4 seconds left on the clock. This was not so much that Lkhagvatogoo won the gold, more that Liluashvili lost it; it was in her hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the final the gold medallist said, \u201cI have mixed feelings right now; after taking gold at the Asian Games, I finished only second in Dushanbe. I was incredibly determined to come back and secure the title here in Kazakhstan. I felt quite anxious after conceding the first score but I stayed focused and kept up the pressure until I won on penalties. I have put in a tremendous amount of effort into achieving this result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miriam Butkereit arrived in Kazakhstan in pole position and throughout the day she made sure everyone knew she intended to stay on top of things. She threw powerfully and gripped with confidence to ensure she would reach the womens’ -70kg final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Facing the German Olympic medallist for gold was Clemence Eme of France, fresh from her bronze medal winning performance in Dushanbe just last week. Eme looked self-assured and every time Butkereit attacked, the French judoka seemed to anticipate it. In fact she countered at the hip for a yuko and very nearly secured the osaekomi-waza, all in the first minute. A shocked Butkereit needed a change of plan!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing Miriam Butkereit tried came close to disturbing Eme who looked to be almost in a flow state. She fought with robust tactics, a great feel for her opponent\u2019s intentions and a clear understanding of the rules. She was rewarded with a gold medal, her early yuko being enough to earn her a place on the top of the podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the final Eme said, \u201cI am incredibly happy, especially as I considered retiring from judo two years ago and now I am moving into the world top ten. After a mistake in Dushanbe, my main focus today was to avoid errors and I felt surprisingly energetic. I\u2019ve been able to deliver new techniques from training in competition, such as my ura-nage, which shows my judo is evolving. Beating an Olympic silver medallist in the final was a significant goal for me; I stayed highly focused on my groundwork defence to ensure I could execute my own gameplay. The atmosphere in Kazakhstan is amazing, as the crowd truly appreciates the fighters and the culture of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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