Odgerel (-73 kg) and Bold’s (-63 kg) gold medals on day 2 were particularly satisfying, giving the crowd their national anthem, always amazing for a host nation. The crowning glory of their team’s performance though came in the last fight of the day. Gonchigsuren Batkhuyag threw Japan’s Daigo Kagawa to reach the final and once there he continued to compete with focus and momentum.
The last contest of the last category of the last day was won by Batkhuyag in front of his spectators and it meant the last anthem of the day belonged to Mongolia, a fitting end to a great tournament.
The local organisers did a great job welcoming the judo community to Ulaanbaatar, delivering glimpses of the culture and character of this impressive nation. The land of the eternal blue sky has again shown that this is a country of judo and of friendship. Thank you to federation President Mr Khaltma Battulga for his diligence and commitment to the development of judo in Mongolia and beyond.
