We start with a sequence of records. 11:30 in Almaty, -57kg category. Uzbekistan Shukurjon Aminova and Canada Kiera Westlake are on the tatami. Hajime, count to seven, ippon and it's over.
12:32, -63kg category. On the tatami are Belgium Alessia Corrao and Chinese Taipei Lai Ruo-Ting. Hajime, count to five, ippon and it's over.
There are days in which people are in a hurry. However, neither Aminova nor Correa reached the final in their respective weights. Aminova lost in the second round and Correa in the semifinals.
-57kg
The first final of the day opposed two judoka who started from the depths of the world ranking. A contest between the tradition embodied by the Japanese Eguchi Rin and the Brazilian school so marked by the Japanese culture, represented by Sarah Sousa. Not many didn't expect them, but they arrived, and they arrived to stay.
So, the final had airs of novelty. The Japanese won thanks to an excellent job in ne-waza, topped with an ippon by osae-komi. Japan was already boiling.
The fight for bronze medals was an exclusively European affair. The Dutch Alexe Wagemaker won the first by defeating Italian Antonietta Palumbo by ippon in just over a minute.
The second was for Russia by the hand of Kseniia Galitskaia, who beat the Romanian Florentina Ivanescu with an exceptional ura-nage.
Eguchi confirmed that the world championships are her first international competition and she gave us a master class of what a judoka has to do when conditions are not ideal. “All my oppponents had arms and legs longer than me. I had to adjust my judo as the matches were passing. I felt that my level was improving. Upon reaching the final I thought I was willing to give everything I had taken advantage of, what I had learned throughout the day. And it worked”, she concluded, and Japan taught its intentions.
FINAL
SOUZA Sarah (BRA) vs EGUCHI Rin (JPN)
BRONZE MEDAL CONTESTS
WAGEMAKER Alexe (NED) vs PALUMBO Antonietta (ITA)
IVANESCU Florentina (ROM) vs GALITSKAIA Kseniia (RUS)
FINAL RESULTS
1. EGUCHI, Rin (JPN)
2. SOUZA, Sarah (BRA)
3. GALITSKAIA, Kseniia (RUS)
3. WAGEMAKER, Alexe (NED)
5. IVANESCU, Florentina (ROU)
5. PALUMBO, Antonietta (ITA)
7. VALENCIA, Karla (ECU)
7. YILDIZ, Ozlem (TUR)
-73KG
The final of the -73kg was the only one without Japanese. The Czech Adam Kopecky asserted his status as first seed to reach the final. With four titles in continental competitions, the Czech begins to be accustomed to major rendezvous. In front was the Turkish Musa Simsek, also with a couple of important victories.
Both gave everything from the beginning, without contemplation, without calculating. Kopecky emulated Lukas Krpalek, World and Olympic champion and famous for his techniques in ne-waza. The young Kopecky became World champion by executing a powerful osae-komi who remembered the best moments of Krpalek.
His comments, after the final, were edifying. “In my last competition I finished seventh. It was a lesson in humility so I came to Kazakhstan without pressure despite being the number one in the world ranking,” he explained. When we asked him about his most complicated moment, Kopecky did not hesitate and analyzed his tournament: “The second contest, against Moldovan Dan Stanila, has been the toughest. Then, when I eliminated Russia Adam Tsechoev in the quarterfinals, I realized that I was in my best form and that I had a good chance of winning”. It is clear now that Krpalek already has a successor and, for those who want to improve the work on the ground, we recommend a trip to the Czech Republic.
The new World champion received his metal from the president of the Judo Federation of Kazakhstan, Kairat Kozhmazharov.
Brazil also had a good day, with three judoka in the final block. To the silver obtained by Souza must be added the fifth place of Gustavo Gomes, who lost against the French Alexandre Tama by waza-ari in the battle for bronze.
As for the second bronze medal, it was a fight between the Olympic champion in the Youth Games, Azerbaijan Vugar Talibov, and Italy and four-time winner in continental tournaments, Luigi Centracchio. Talibov won with two waza-ari, the second five seconds to the end.
FINAL
KOPECKY Adam (CZE) vs SIMSEK Musa (TUR)
BRONZE MEDAL CONTESTS
TAMA Alexandre (FRA) vs GOMES Gustavo (BRA)
TALIBOV Vugar (AZE) vs CENTRACCHIO Luigi (ITA)
FINAL RESULTS
1. KOPECKY, Adam (CZE)
2. SIMSEK, Musa (TUR)
3. TALIBOV, Vugar (AZE)
3. TAMA, Alexandre (FRA)
5. CENTRACCHIO, Luigi (ITA)
5. GOMES, Gustavo (BRA)
7. GANIEV, Ganijon (TJK)
7. TSECHOEV, Adam (RUS)
-63KG
The final of the -63kg category was a carbon copy of the -57kg one, because both the Turkish Habibe Afyonlu and the Japanese Yazawa Auri were far from being the favorites at the beginning of the day. Little by little they were winning their fights, and they did it with style and without trembling. In the semifinals the Turkish eliminated Belgium and world number one Alessia Corrao. The Japanese did the same with Brazil and third seeded Maria Diniz. Therefore, it was difficult to predict the outcome of the final, which was explosive. In less than a minute Afyonlu executed a magnificent gold-flavored ura-nage, which raised the audience from their seats.
"It has been a dream come true," explained Afyonlu shortly after. “My favorite technique is ura-nage. Winning the world title against a Japanese judoka by executing my favorite technique has been exactly that, a dream”.
A dream celebrated on the podium, where she received her gold medal from Ali Riza Akinci, Consul General of Turkey in Almaty.
Croatian Ktarina Kristo left Brazil again at the gates of the medals. The Croatian defeated Maria Diniz adding Croatia's second medal in the competition. Alessia Corrao won the first medal for Belgium by defeating the Bulgarian Lidia Brancheva in the fight for the second bronze.
FINAL
AFYONLU Habibe (TUR) vs YAZAWA Auri (JPN)
BRONZE MEDAL CONTESTS
KRISTO Katarina (CRO) vs DINIZ Maria (BRA)
BRANCHEVA Lidia (BUL) vs CORRAO Alessia (BEL)
FINAL RESULTS
1. AFYONLU, Habibe (TUR)
2. YAZAWA, Airi (JPN)
3. CORRAO, Alessia (BEL)
3. KRISTO, Katarina (CRO)
5. BRANCHEVA, Lidia (BUL)
5. DINIZ, Maria (BRA)
7. KURCHENKO, Yuliia (UKR)
7. RAMDANE, Racha Schehrazed (ALG)
-81KG
The last final of the day definitely marked the resurgence of Japanese judoka after a progressive start, and also the abundance of shido. With a silver and a bronze medal the first day, two golds the second and two golds and a silver the third day, Japan has reached its cruising speed and presented in society the wealth of its bench. Otake Ryunosuke was measured in the -81kg final with Ukraine Tymur Valieiev. The crowd was expecting a lot from that contest between two men who arrived fresh and had showed interesting moves during the day. It was indeed a really intense opposition, but the Ukrainian paid his mistakes and lost by accumulating three shidos.
The organizing country also caught a medal on the third day. Aidar Arapov won the bronze after defeating Ukraine Nikita Batii, eliminated with three shidos.
Finally, Russia Ikhvan Edilsultanov compensated his defeat in the semifinals with a bronze medal. The favorite in the category defeated Croatia Miljan Radulj, adding the fourth competition medal for Russia.
FINAL
OTAKE Ryunosuke (JPN) vs VALIEIEV Tymur (UKR)
BRONZE MEDAL CONTESTS
BATII Nikita (UKR) vs ARAPOV Aidar (KAZ)
RADULJ Miljan (SRB) vs EDILSULTANOV Ikhvan (RUS)
FINAL RESULTS
1. OTAKE, Ryunosuke (JPN)
2. VALIEIEV, Tymur (UKR)
3. ARAPOV, Aidar (KAZ)
3. EDILSULTANOV, Ikhvan (RUS)
5. BATII, Nikita (UKR)
5. RADULJ, Miljan (SRB)
7. JAPARIDZE, Akaki (GEO)
7. MAVLIDOV, Mukhammedali (KAZ)
Only two new countries managed to release the medal locker at the end of the third day. They are already nineteen in total. The medals are coming out expensive and there are countries like Kazakhstan, Italy, Russia and, above all Japan, that are making things very difficult for others.