All four top seeds fell early in the day making way for an unpredictable final block. Gabriel Falcao (BRA), Victor Sterpu (MDA), Alpha Djalo and Francois Gauthier Drapeau let the medals escape them, not even an appearance in the final block between them.
In the final, Petru Pelivan (MDA) and Zhalgas Kairolla (KAZ) brought the spectators to their feet. One yuko and then another for Kairolla gave the crowd a glimpse of victory but then 5-time grand slam medallist Pelivan scored his own and things began to look more shaky for the host’s athlete.
As the time ticked away Pelivan applied more and more pressure but Kairolla dealt with it perfectly by rolling underneath him with a seoi-otoshi that scored ippon. From 120th in the world and with no previous results at this level, Zhalgas Kairolla has become an instant local hero. He has the gold and is the reason the organisers will hear their national anthem today.
Kairolla reacted after the final, saying, “It was really emotional and the most important triumph of my life. Winning in Astana means everything to me!”
In the first bronze medal contest, David Lima (BRA) took the lead after a massive reverse entry looked destined to lead to a high score. Doskhan Zholzhaxinov (KAZ) did all he could to avoid the call of “ippon,” managing to scramble and reduce the potential impact. He was then down by just a yuko and so the crowd grew louder, willing him to take control.
No matter how much energy the spectators leant him, Zholzhaxinov couldn’t break through Lima’s defences and so the scoreline stood. David Lima was ecstatic as the referee called “soremade.”
In the second bronze medal contest Egor Sukhoparov (RUS) and Vladyslav Kolobov (UKR) delivered dynamic judo in a tense search for the win. Eventually Kolobov made space, scored and saw no reason to give up his lead. He won the bronze medal, a fitting end to a good day of judo.
Final (-81 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-81 kg)
