The reigning world champion Inal Tasoev (RUS) arrived in Mongolia as the top seed, firmly established among the leaders of the world ranking. But in judo, being number one on the draw is never a guarantee of victory.
An opening win against Giannis Antoniou (CYP) confirmed Tasoev’s good form, although the Cypriot offered strong resistance. His second contest against compatriot Valerii Endovitskii (RUS) proved far more demanding. It took a lengthy golden score for Tasoev to finally overcome his opponent, scoring a yuko after a five-second hold down. A battle that would undoubtedly leave its mark.
It was then time for the semi-final against Minjong Kim (KOR). Tasoev clearly intended to finish the contest quickly, perhaps too quickly. On his first uchi-mata attack, Kim produced a magnificent counter and appeared to score ippon. The score was eventually reviewed and reduced to waza-ari, leaving everything still to play for. However, Kim, confident in his strength and tactical approach, managed to neutralise Tasoev’s attacks and even put the Russian under pressure on several occasions. Exhausted, Tasoev had to accept that, on this day, he had found a stronger opponent.
In the bottom half of the draw, the two standout performers were Irakli Demetrashvili (GEO) and Jur Spijkers (NED), with the Georgian eventually taking the upper hand in their semi-final to set up a gold medal contest against Kim.
The final quickly turned in Kim’s favour as the Korean took the lead with a yuko. However, approaching the final minute, Demetrashvili levelled the score. The Georgian remained under pressure, having already accumulated two shidos. This ultimately proved decisive, as a third penalty ended his hopes of gold and handed victory to Kim. The Korean claimed the first grand slam gold medal of his career and announced himself as a major force in the category.
To conclude the day, Kim said, "When I started judo at 12, it was just for fun, not for championships. But as I improved and began winning on the world stage, it became deeply meaningful, not just for me, but for my family. Because I am on the shorter side for my weight category, I've had to adapt my style to fight more like a lightweight rather than a typical heavyweight. This evolution has been a major part of my journey and I will keep pushing until I achieve my ultimate goal of winning an Olympic gold medal."
Kanan Nasibov (AZE) and Jur Spijkers (NED) met in the first bronze medal contest. Another battle went into golden score before Spijkers secured victory with a yuko after a hold down following a mistake by his opponent during an attack near the edge of the contest area. It was the ninth grand slam medal of the Dutch judoka’s career.
The second bronze medal contest had the feeling of a world championships or Olympic Games final, featuring two of the greatest heavyweights of their generation: double Olympic champion and former world champion Lukáš Krpálek (CZE) against reigning world champion Inal Tasoev (RUS). It was a battle between giants and the embrace shared by the two champions at the end of the contest perfectly reflected the immense mutual respect between them. Tasoev claimed the bronze medal, but both men deserve recognition for the spectacle and commitment they brought to the tatami.