Since his world title, nine years ago, Smetov has had his ups and downs, but he is returning to the forefront at the right time. To get there, he defeated Tornike Tsjakadoea (NED), then Dilshot Khalmatov (UKR) before winning against against Yang.
In the semi-final, it is Francisco Garrigos (ESP), world champion in 2023 and recent European champion, who will face Smetov in a contest that promises to be very close.
In the morning session, Garrigos got the better of Ryuju Nagayama (JPN), ensuring that the Japanese anthem would not be played at the end of the day in the men's category at least. In the first round, the Spaniard eliminated Jorre Verstraeten (BEL).
In the second part of the draw, the man to watch was Sardalashvili (GEO), winner of the recent Abu Dhabi World Championships. We know how difficult it is to enter two top-level competitions in a row. Things began well for Giorgi Sardalashvili though, who eliminated Yam Wolczak (ISR) in the first round but in the next contest he was up against Salih Yildiz (TUR) and things did not go as planned.
A bronze medallist at the 2024 European Championships, Yildiz was not among the favourites but as we know, the Games is a special event, where anything can happen. Unfortunately for the reigning world champion, the worst-case scenario unfolded, as he had to bow out and open the doors to the semi-finals to the Turkish judoka.
It remained to be seen who would qualify for the final four. To the great delight of the crowd, it was the Frenchman Luka Mkheidze who, supported by all the encouragement and an incredible physical condition, completely outwitted his quarter-final opponent Won Jin Kim (KOR). The latter was never able to really get his hands on Mkheidze. In the previous round, Luka Mkheidze eliminated Ariunbold Enkhtaivan.
Semi-finals
Yeldos Smetov (KAZ) vs Francisco Garrigos (ESP)
Salih Yildiz (TUR) vs uka Mkheidze (FRA)
Repechage
Yung Wei Yang (TPE) vs Ryuju Nagayama (JPN)
Giorgi Sardalashvili (GEO) vs Won Jin Kim (KOR)