There wasn’t much separating the judoka, both attacking and both defending. It remained close throughout the first 4 minutes but 30 seconds into golden score, Schuster changed tactics and went for a direct ko-soto-gake. Her new plan worked and a yuko score was achieved, giving the Slovenian her first grand prix medal.
Yoshino Takahashi (JPN) and April Lynn Fohouo (SUI) had the chance to follow in Schuster’s footsteps; the Swiss athlete seemed to want it more as she was first to attack but the tables were turned towards the end of normal time as Takahashi threw and immediately held to earn herself two waza-ari scores and a bronze medal. Still only 17 and with no prior record of any international event, it’s a staggering achievement.
Two of the most experienced judoka in the category made their way to the final through the morning session: Ida Eriksson (SWE) and Aoife Coughlan (AUS). Both have been on the World Judo Tour for a long time and they used that to pass each challenge professionally and confidently.
In the final, the two women showed clear respect for one another but also understood the risks of engaging without adequate preparation. It began as a cagey affair but as time passed, both became more open and committed. 25 seconds into golden score, it was Coughlan who decided to go for broke. She took a deep grip and applied an o-uchi-gari to ko-uchi-gari combination and drove her Swedish opponent to the tatami. The referee signaled ippon and Australia had their first medal of the tournament, a gold, no less.
Final (-70 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-70 kg)
