Given the first rounds of both champions, it was difficult to predict the outcome, as they were so dominant during the preliminaries of the tournament. On one side, we had Tushishvili, who took risks, even putting himself in danger at times, but always ending up finding a solution with his signature explosive judo. On the other, there was Tasoev, who was untouchable and executed movements with devastating clarity and efficiency. The final between the two looked more undecided than ever, even though one could hope and believe in an ippon for one side or the other.
In the final, we expected a strong kumi-kata battle and we got it. It was tense, it was sharp, it was very strong. During the first half of the contest, Tushishvili had the advantage, pushing Tasoev to be penalised, but there is nothing stronger than a disturbed wasp and Tasoev bit with a seoi-otoshi that was awarded a yuko.
It was a little yuko that Tushishvili tried very hard to overcome but Tasoev has experience and he kept it until the final gong. Both champions delivered a very high level contest. They were definitely the best two competitors of the category. Today it was Tasoev's turn to take the gold. It's certainly not the last time these two will meet.
Behind the two judo giants, places were at a premium. The first bronze medal was fought over by Shokhrukhkhon Bakhtiyorov (UZB) and Irakli Demetrashvili (GEO). This contest that took place before the last final, was an appetiser for the public to warm up with. In the golden score period, Demetrashvili provoked Bakhtiyorov's uchi-mata. The Uzbek fell into the trap and was countered with uchi-mata-sukashi. The first bronze medal goes to Georgia.
Jur Spijkers (NED) and Gonchigsuren Batkhuyag (MGL) faced off for the second bronze medal. Batkhuyag took the first score with a 5 second pin but then the big throw came from Spijkers with a te-waza to score ippon and bring the bronze medal back home.
Final (+100 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (+100 kg)
