Esposito’s opponent in the semi-final stage was Yingying Feng (CHN) who dropped the Italian into the bronze medal contest. Espoito had been leading the contest but was thrown and held much to her frustration. Esposito’s team mate, Giorgia Stangherlin went one better, fulfilling her side of the bargain in the quest for an all-Italian final. Kim (KOR), Chayeb (LBN) and Carvalho (BRA) all fell at the hands of Stangherlin! An o-uchi-gari secured her place in the final, sending Moscalu (ROU) into the other bronze medal contest.
An o-uchi-gari secured her place in the final, sending Moscalu (ROU) into the other bronze medal contest.
Serafima Moscalu’s contest for bronze as to be against Dena Pohl. The first minute saw both fighters looking for a stable position, their left vs right situation producting a traditional batte for sleeve control. Pohl found her feet first, scoring a yuko that could have been given much more with only a tiny adjustment. A lead is a lead though and this was enough to force Moscalu to raise her pace and her commitment. Despite applying considerable pressure, Moscalu couldn't close the gap. Pohl left Kazakhstan with a bronze medal.
Esposito’s opponent for bronze was Luana Carvalho but the Brazilian just coouldn't keep up. The Italian went ahead by one yuko and then another and with 5 seconds to go it looked to be all over. Carvalho, however, found a new gear and flew at Esposito with a driving o-soto-gari.
It caught Esposito on the back foot and she landed with a thud, unable to do anything other than watch the referee raise his hand to score ippon. Carvalho won on the final bell. A shocked Italian left the tatami without the medal she had already thought was hers.
In the final, Georgia Stangherlin caught the timing just right to counter Feng's o-uchi-gari, feeling her o-uchi-gaeshi perfectly and transitioning into a tight kesa-gatame to win the gold medal. It took just a single minute to become the -70 kg champion in Astana!
Final (-70 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-70 kg)
