Final: Francois Gauthier-Drapeau (CAN) vs David Lima (BRA)
A minute into the contest, which was largely even, the Canadian judoka attacked well enough but without earning a score but in the process he did not protect himself and left space for Lima to counter. A yuko on the board for Lima meant a change of strategy for Gauthier-Drapeau was necessary.
The pace went up and the attacks rained down on David Lima but nothing translated into danger for the Brazilian who defended his score expertly. It was a gold medal for David Lima and silver for Francois Gauthier-Drapeau.
David Lima explained his thoughts after a great day in Lima, “Winning my first IJF gold medal is an indescribable feeling. After coming so close in the past with second and third-place grand slam finishes, I came into this final determined that nobody would take this away from me. I'm deeply grateful to my club for all their support.
Competing here in Lima was fantastic. For us South American athletes, avoiding the exhausting travel to Europe or other continents made a huge difference in managing my weight and staying in top form.”
Bronze medal contest: Vincenzo Pelligra (ITA) vs Johan Silot (USA)
A battle for the ages, epic in every way; this medal would be going home with a worthy winner, either way. Pelligra attacked, Silot attacked, one countered, the other escaped; it was relentless. Impressive staying power defined this contest as both judoka fought with unshakeable commitment.
However, what begins to crack in a long contest is the precision that an athlete’s fitness protects. After almost 8 minutes of high level judo, it was Pelligra’s endurance that came under fire. With two penalties on each side of the scoreboard, both kept attacking, hoping to avoid the third. It was this pace that caused Pelligra to deliver a poorly prepared entry and Silot countered it without hesitation.
Bronze medal contest: Vasilije Grujicic (SRB) vs Petru Pelivan (MDA)
This was another physical contest in which neither judoka could quite complete their attacks, blocked by the movement and gripping of the other. Penalties began to mount up, two to Grujicic and one to Pelivan. Then, on the ground, Grujicic made a contest-ending mistake and pushed his hand into Pelivan’s face, earning him the third and final shido. The medal was heading to Moldova.
Final (-81 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-81 kg)
