In pool B, after the elimination of Attila Ungvari (HUN), it was Askerbii Gerbekov (BRN) who earned himself a place in the semi-finals, where he found François Gauthier-Drapeau ready for a high-intensity fight. It was in fact very intense and despite being tired from so many contests between Paris and Baku, Gauthier-Drapeau found the energy to engage a risky o-soto-gari. However, risks often pay off and this was another clear ippon for the Canadian judoka and a new the final, two in a row at grand slam level.
In Pool C, Somon Makhmadbekov (TJK) won with a little taste of the explosive judo that we will see in Dushanbe in a few weeks (Dushanbe Grand Slam 2nd to 4th May). In the first round, he scored ippon with a monumental o-soto-gari against Schamil Dzavbatyrov (GER), then he scored yuko, waza-ari and ippon against Bernd Fasching (AUT), before winning against Meiirzhan Zhumabek (KAZ) to reach the semi-final.
At the bottom of the draw, it was the local man, Zelim Tckaev (AZE), Azerbaijan’s representative at the Paris 2024 Games, who won, offering serious medal hopes to the host country. In the quarter-finals though, he had to work hard to get rid of his teammate Omar Rajabli (AZE), after a long golden score battle, before a new significant victory against Somon Makhmadbekov via a small yuko, to reach the final. There was a medal guaranteed for Azerbaijan!
The final therefore opposed François Gauthier-Drapeau (CAN) and Zelim Tckaev (AZE) with an electric atmosphere on the cards. Fast and opportunistic, Tckaev was dangerous from the beginning with almost all of his attacks, Gauthier-Drapeau only managing to escape several times at the last moment. It was finally through the Canadian's movement that Tckaev found his opportunity, an o-soto-gaeshi for a yuko. Everything could still change, with Gauthier-Drapeau putting pressure on his opponent with an armlock, but Tckaev escaped. Time flew by and that's how Zelim Tckaev won the gold medal, the first for Azerbaijan here in Baku.
The first bronze medal contest opposed Egor Sukhoparov (IJF) and Somon Makhmadbekov (TJK). The judoka reached golden score with one shido apiece. Makhmadbekov was penalised a second time at the beginning of golden score putting the Olympic medallist under pressure. Despite some attempts to find opportunities, Makhmadbekov remained less active than his opponent. When the third shido fell on his shoulders, Makhmadbekov sow the medal flying away to Egor Sukhoparov, who stepped on a grand slam podium for the first time.
Omar Rajabli (AZE) and Askerbii Gerbekov (BRN) faced off in the second bronze medal contest. The public was expecting another bronze medal for the host nation but in the last seconds of the contest, Askerbii Gerbekov ruined their hopes with a subtle ko-soto-gake for a yuko, enough to win his third bronze medal in a grand slam.
Final (-81 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-81 kg)
