As we know, nothing is ever written in advance in judo and we had several examples of this throughout the day. It's worth noting that Olaya had already beaten a potential gold medallist, Frenchwoman Fanny Estelle Posvite, in the preliminary rounds. So why not one more? And that's what the Colombian did by pinning Sampaio for ippon to secure her first grand slam final, earning her very first chance at a medal at this level. Before the final, she could already be warmly congratulated.
In the second half of the draw, things became a little clearer, as Metka Lobnik (SLO), third in Linz a few weeks ago, joined Olaya in the final. It's worth noting that whoever won, it would be a first.
The result was uncertain for most of the final, with Olaya only receiving one shido. But as the end of the bout approached, Metka Lobnik executed some nice groundwork to pin her opponent for ippon. The gold medal was for Metka and Slovenia, her first medal in a grand slam.
Hoping for gold, Fanny Estelle Posvite (FRA) had to settle for a bronze medal and to secure it she, she faced Karol Gimenes (BRA). As Gimenes was penalised a third time in the golden score period, Posvite added one more grand slam medal to her prize list, the eleventh.
Patricia Sampaio (POR) still had the chance to salvage her tournament by reaching the podium but she still had Uzbekistan's Barchinoy Kodirova standing in her way. Unfortunately for Kodirova, she couldn't finish the contest and the bronze medal went to Patricia Sampaio.
Final (-78 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-78 kg)
