For two days, France had been searching for a breakthrough performance at the Tashkent Grand Slam judo championships. None of the French athletes had managed to progress beyond the preliminary rounds on the opening day, several halted by Japanese opposition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the -70 kg category, however, that narrative finally shifted as Melkia Auchecorne made the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Auchecorne is no stranger to success. A double junior world champion and winner of the Kazakhstan Grand Slam last year, she arrived with credentials and delivered a performance. In the opening round, she faced the number one seed, Aoife Coughlan of Australia. Auchecorne imposed her rhythm from the outset, denying the Australian the opportunity to dictate the pace or use her physical strength effectively. It was a statement victory that set the tone for her day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carrying that momentum forward, the French judoka went on to defeat Lu Liu of China and four-time grand slam winner Elisavet Teltsidou of Greece, securing her place in the final. The first part of the mission had been accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She nearly had company! Teammate Cl\u00e9mence Eme produced clean and efficient judo throughout the morning session. One of her standout moments came when she eliminated Japan\u2019s Erina Ike of japan, cutting short the campaign of a serious contender. Eme looked tactically sharp, building confidence bout after bout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the semi-final, however, she faced a formidable challenge in Miriam Butkereit of Germany, an Olympic and world medallist with vast experience. Eme struggled to find a solution against the German\u2019s reach and control. Despite her efforts, she was eventually caught and pinned down. It had been close, but not quite enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Butkereit therefore advanced to the final, setting up a compelling contest against Auchecorne: youth and momentum against experience and proven pedigree. On this occasion, experience proved decisive. The German managed to secure a hold-down and score ippon, ending Auchecorne\u2019s hopes of gold, claiming the title in commanding fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the women’s -63kg top seed, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard of Canada carried the weight of expectation but that burden did not prevent her from reaching yet another grand slam final, the eighth of her career at this level, with six titles already to her name. An Olympic medallist in Tokyo in 2021 and twice a world championship finalist, the Canadian has long established herself as one of the pillars of the -63 kg category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the lower half of the draw, Iva Oberan of Croatia had her sights set firmly on a place in the final. Standing in her way, however, was Narumi Tanioka of Japan, an athlete who may not compete frequently outside Japan but whose international appearances have resulted in podium finishes consistently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a grand slam silver and bronze in 2025, as well as a title at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, Tanioka had already demonstrated her ability to deliver when it matters most. In Tashkent she rose to the occasion once again, progressing through her section of the draw with consistency and composure to secure her place in the gold medal contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final therefore pitted Beauchemin-Pinard\u2019s experience and proven pedigree against Tanioka\u2019s precision and growing international reputation. This time, experience was not enough. Despite her tactical awareness and resilience, the Canadian was unable to find a solution. Tanioka controlled the exchanges and ultimately secured victory, claiming the first gold medal of the day and confirming her steady ascent on the international stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The last-minute withdrawal of 2024 world and reigning Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov reshaped the men’s -73 kg category significantly. With the most dominant figure absent from the top half of the draw, opportunities emerged and several athletes were ready to seize them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arun Kumar of India was among those who capitalised early, progressing to the quarter-finals confidently. There, however, he was stopped by Orif Abdulloi of Tajikistan, who had not been counted among the morning\u2019s favourites. Yet, in a category suddenly lacking its leading name, places were available for those prepared to step forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In pool B, expectations had centred on Jack Yonezuka of the USA but it was Italian Giovanni Esposito who emerged from a tightly contested section to set up a semi-final against Abdulloi. The Tajik judoka continued his impressive run, securing victory and booking a place in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lower half of the draw unfolded more in line with predictions. Shakhram Ahadov of Uzbekistan, already a two-time grand slam winner, rose to the occasion. In an all-Uzbek semi-final, he overcame compatriot Elbek Tojiev, delighting the home crowd and ensuring local representation in the gold medal contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final therefore brought together Ahadov and Abdulloi, host nation ambition against emerging momentum. The contest proved extremely tight, neither judoka able to impose clear dominance. Backed by the full support of the crowd, Ahadov searched for the decisive opening but could not quite find it. In golden score, with everything still hanging in the balance, it was Abdulloi who made the difference, confirming his outstanding day and securing the gold medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the identity of the -81 kg finalists remained uncertain until the very last contests of the preliminary rounds. One name, however, had emerged earlier in the day: Omar Rajabli of Azerbaijan. Few had predicted his presence at this stage. He was not listed among the main favourites when the draw was made, yet as the rounds progressed, he built momentum quietly and secured his place in the gold medal contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In doing so, Rajabli navigated a field packed with established names. Athletes such as Somon Makhmadbekov of Tajikistan, Sotaro Fujiwara of Japan, Vedat Albayrak of Turkey and Arslonbek Tojiev of Uzbekistan were all considered serious contenders, yet none would contest the -81 kg final on day two in Tashkent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the top half of the draw, the number one seed Francois Gauthier-Drapeau of Canada looked for a long time as though he would justify his status. The Canadian controlled his early contests with authority, appearing to be on course for another major final. However, his run was halted by Abdul-Kerim Tasuev of Russia, who delivered a composed and tactically sharp performance to claim a place in the semi-finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tasuev\u2019s momentum did not stop there. In the semi-final, he overcame Aurelien Bonferroni of Switzerland, who had been in impressive form throughout the day. Bonferroni had demonstrated sharp technique and strong movement in his earlier bouts but Tasuev managed to neutralise his rhythm and secure the decisive advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final therefore brought together Tasuev and Rajabli, two athletes who had carved their own path through a highly competitive field, rewriting expectations along the way. It took just one minute and thirty seconds for Rajabli to impose himself. Following seamless transition into groundwork, Tasuev attempted to control the leg but Rajabli freed himself calmly and secured an unstoppable hold-down. It was ippon and gold for the Azerbaijani judoka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women’s -63 kg: <\/strong>1. TANIOKA Narumi (JPN); 2. BEAUCHEMIN-PINARD Catherine (CAN); 3. SZYMANSKA Angelika (POL) and DEKETER Manon (FRA); 5. VAN LIESHOUT Joanne (NED) and SHARIR Gili (ISR); 7. SIMIC Nina (CRO) and AVANZATO Carlotta (ITA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women’s -70 kg: <\/strong>1. BUTKEREIT Miriam (GER); 2. AUCHECORNE Melkia (FRA); 3. EME Clemence (FRA) and 3. TELTSIDOU Elisavet (GRE) and 5. LIU Lu (CHN) and BADUROVA Kamila (RUS); 7. STANGHERLIN Giorgia (ITA) and 7. PEDROTTI Irene (ITA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Men’s -73 kg: 1<\/strong>. ABDULLOI Orif (TJK); 2. AHADOV Shakhram (UZB); 3. TOJIEV Elbek (UZB) and UCHIMURA Shusuke (JPN); 5. JUMAEV Mukhammad (UZB) and ESPOSITO Giovanni (ITA); 7. KUMAR Arun (IND) and NINIASHVILI Bagrati (GEO)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Men’s -81 kg: <\/strong>1. RAJABLI Omar (AZE); 2. TASUEV Abdul-Kerim (RUS); 3. YULDOSHEV Murodjon (UZB) and 3. FUJIWARA Sotaro (JPN); 5. TOJIEV Arslonbek (UZB) and 5. BONFERRONI Aurelien (SUI); 7. CAVELIUS Timo (GER) and WANG Jiangnan (CHN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For two days, France had been searching for a breakthrough performance at the Tashkent Grand Slam judo championships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[106],"class_list":["post-9970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-judo"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t