Omori raised her game and fought harder but Cysique was ready for that. She held her position and her nerve and as the crowd counted down for the last 5 seconds of the contest, Cysique knew the job was done. After 6 attempts and several medals, Cysique finally had her first Paris gold and it was clear that this victory meant a lot to her and to the French judo fans inside the arena.
The first bronze medal would go home with either Momo Tamaoki (JPN) or Chloe Devictor (FRA) and the crowd made their preference known! Tamaoki was not following their will though and worked strategically in both tach-waza and ne-waza to earn first yuko from a throw, followed by a hold for ippon on the floor.
A dejected Devictor left the tatami slowly but the spectators continued to applaud her effort. She will have to wait another year to try again. Meanwhile Momo Tamaoki has her 16th grand slam medal.
Mariana Esteves (GUI) has just one medal on the World Judo Tour, a bronze won at last year’s Upper Austria Grand Prix. It was a breakthrough moment for the now 29-year-old who now competes from a bronze in Paris, the greatest grand slam of them all.
Faiza Mokdar (FRA) was determined to win a medal of her own but Esteves was not going to go down without a fight! The French judoka won Paris gold in 2024 and understood the task at hand. It took her until the last 20 seconds of the allotted time to make her mark but a seoi-otoshi gave her a yuko and some breathing space. The bronze medal was hers.
Final (-57 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-57 kg)
