Unfortunately, things did not go the same way during this first home grand slam, Komronshokh Ustopiriyon being knocked out in the first round by Daniel Nieto Trinidad (ESP) after the Tajik judoka believed he could resist the ippon-ko-uchi-gari of the Spanish. The waza-ari scored by Nieto Trinidad was enough to offer a cold shower to the public. Nieto Trinidad was then eliminated in the next round. It was not a good day for Komronshokh Ustopiriyon.
At the top of the draw, the former world champion, Nemanja Majdov (SRB), had a good card to play to collect the points promised to the winner, but once again, being seeded number one was not enough today and Majdov was eliminated by David Klammert (CZE), author this season of only a seventh place in Austria, during the Upper Austria Grand Prix.
However, it was written that this day in Dushanbe would smile on Klammert, who with clear momentum, propelled himself to the final, after a tactical victory in the semi-final against the other Tajik in the category, Muhammadjon Abdujalilzoda.
Author of a very good season, with a victory in Tashkent and a bronze medal in Tbilisi, Theodoros Tselidis (GRE) had all the cards in hand to once again appear among the very best in the category and climb a few more places in the world rankings, while he is now in 15th place in the world.
After a first round bye, he won against Sami Chouchi (BEL), the latter being disqualified after less than a minute. In the next round, Tselidis was in turn eliminated by Korean judoka Juyeop Han, after receiving his third penalty.
In this second part of the draw, it became more and more difficult to know who would join Klammert in the final and it was ultimately the Independent Neutral Athlete, Mansur Lorsanov, who obtained his precious ticket by defeating Han in the semi-final.
In the final, the four minutes of normal time were not enough to the decide the winner. Both judoka were active and there was just one shido apiece as golden score started. It could go either way. Klammert tried once again to score with ko-soto-gake but Lorsanov anticipated the move and he drove his opponent on his side for a waza-ari and the victory at the end of a period of suspense. The gold medal was for Mansur Lorsanov.
Nemanja Majdov (SRB) still had a chance to save his day when he faced Juyeop Han (KOR) in the first match for a bronze medal but unfortunately for him he was penalised three times, the last time for breaking the grip, offering the victory to Han and Korea.
After a very complicated day for Theodoros Tselidis (GRE), he still had a chance to get on the podium but for that he had to face Muhammadjon Abdujalilzoda (TJK) who also wanted a medal in front of his audience after the disappointment of Ustopiriyon. Things seemed to be going in the wrong direction for Abdujalilzoda who had to suffer Tselidis' tokui-waza for a waza-ari. The Greek judoka has his own way of applying seoi-otoshi with almost no rotation but the driving force he puts into it is very effective and can score. Tselidis was about to reach another podium, when Muhammadjon Abdujalilzoda dropped under his centre of gravity and with a low tsuri-goshi technique threw for ippon. This is the first ever medal for him at the international level and even more the very first ranking points for the young judoka.
Final (-90 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-90 kg)
