Champion
Name: ABE Uta Country: Japan Weight category: -52kg World ranking: 8 Best result: Paris Grand Slam gold
Junior world champion ABE Uta has only tasted defeated once on the IJF stage and that came in her first IJF World Judo Tour experience. ABE, 17, the younger sister of -66kg world champion ABE Hifumi, took silver at the Tokyo Grand Slam back in 2016 on her IJF debut and has since gone unbeaten.
The -52kg starlet has since won the Düsseldorf Grand Prix, Junior Worlds, Tokyo Grand Slam and Paris Grand Slam. ABE is riding a 20-fight winning streak and is on a collision course with Olympic champion and -52kg standard bearer Majlinda KELMENDI (KOS) who will return to action this summer.
Victory in Hohhot will move the Japanese ace towards the summit of the weight category as the ABE siblings look unstoppable on the road to Tokyo 2020.
Contender
Name: Astride GNETO Country: France Weight category: -52kg World ranking: 19 Best result: Abu Dhabi Grand Slam gold
World number 19 Astride GNETO, the younger sister of Olympic bronze medallist Priscilla GNETO, is bidding for Grand Prix honours at her seventh attempt.
Despite winning a Grand Slam in 2016 the French youngster has found Grand Prix success more difficult to come by.
GNETO won a key medal at home in Paris in February to book a swift return to IJF duty as the -52kg fighter finished fifth at the Düsseldorf Grand Slam.
The -52kg category is deep on day one but the younger GNETO is also a quality operator and could spring a surprise or two in order to progress into the final block and onto the medal podium.
Watch the #JudoHohhot2018 final block live and free from Friday 25 May – Sunday 27 May here on the IJF website.