Takeoka's list of achievements will undoubtedly grow by a few more lines in the years to come. What is certain is that every time the Japanese judoka goes out on the world circuit, he hits the mark. Winner at home in Tokyo in 2024, he was also a finalist at the last world championships in Abu Dhabi and winner of the Paris Grand Slam a few months earlier; a serious contender.
His opponent in the final is no stranger either, since he is none other than the judoka Takeoka met in the final of the Abu Dhabi World Championships and who defeated him. The Baku Grand Slam final therefore had the look and feel of a world final.
It was a tactical final that we witnessed, with victory going to Takeshi Takeoka after his opponent was penalised a third time. It remained to be determined which judoka would join the Japanese duo on the podium.
It was Rufat Aleskerov and Ivan Chernykh, both fighting under the IJF colours, who faced each other in the first contest for a bronze medal. After a very tight contest, none of the judoka seemed capable of creating throwing opportunities, but the contest was pleasant to follow. A good sign of the intensity was that there was only one penalty given during normal time. It took only 9 seconds for Ivan Chernykh to score a waza-ari with a side-entry seoi-otoshi and take the bronze medal.
Azizbek Ortikov (UZB) and Elshan Asadov (AZE) were on the bill for the second contest for a bronze medal. The suspense was at its peak throughout the contest, with the win coming down to just one penalty in the golden score period. The bronze medal was for Elshan Asadov.
Final (-66 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-66 kg)
Final Results (-66 kg)
