Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done for these cadets to refine their skills, continuing on the lifelong path of judo education, but this, as a starting point, is incredibly positive. From powerful throwing techniques to instinctive transition and highly technical ne-waza, the teenagers fighting in Ecuador have illustrated their desire to be top level seniors. For many of them, with work, this can happen.
Day three was a major turning point in the tides of the medal tally. Big performances from the Russian team and some disappointments among others gave rise to a change at the top of the leaderboard. For two days, Kazakhstan has held pole position but with three of the five gold medals going to the Russian Federation on heavyweight day, they leapfrogged Kazakhstan.
Still, the spread of medals remains very pleasing indeed. The 16 golds were split between 11 nations, while 22 won medals of varying colours. There is one more set of medals to be decided, those of the mixed team event. Twelve countries are in contention, Japan at the top of the draw, but nothing is decided in advance.
Tune in to JudoTV to catch all the mixed team action live.