Manuel Lombardo (ITA) and Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov (UAE) didn’t let the occasion get to them. No matter what happened around them they stayed focused on their task and reached the final in good shape.
Lombardo was under pressure from the very first grip. Makhmadbekov tied him up and attacked with a first o-soto-makikomi for a waza-ari. After another minute passed, he did it again and it was unstoppable. This was an enormous win for the Emirati athlete; a Paris to lift a team that has been building for many years and is now receiving the fruit of their labour on a regular basis.
The first bronze medal contest saw Muhiddin Asadulloev (TJK) face young French talent Dayyan Boulemtafes (FRA). The former scored a yuko and then another and despite all Boulemtafes’ efforts, he could not regain his rhythm. Asadulloev won the bronze and would stand on the Paris podium, the first medallist at the edition for Tajikistan
Double and current world medallist Tatsuki Ishihara (JPN) should have had an easy path to the bronze but his adversary for a place on the podium had made it known that he was ready for this level. Twenty-one year old Benjamin Levy (GBR) has no medal from the World Judo Tour so far but is edging his way up the ranking list and has brought intensity to every contest in the Accor Arena.
The first score came from Ishihara, an ashi-waza counter for a yuko but Levy responded with a beautifully timed seoi-otoshi for a waza-ari. Ishihara had under-estimated the young Brit, a big mistake! Levy defended perfectly while Ishihara rushed to find his way out of an uncomfortable situation. It was simply too late; Levy knew the medal was his to lose and he refused!
Final (-73 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-73 kg)
