A roller coaster, that's what the Grand Slam Hungary was in this category. The Puerto Rican Maria Pérez had the luxury of defeating the first seed, the Dutch Sanne Van Dijke, before being eliminated at the hands of the German Miriam Butkereit, who in turn had beaten the British Kelly Petersen-Pollard. World champion Barbara Matic was delighted, calmly advancing through the tournament until she lost to Japan's Saki Niizoe, who had in turn put an end to the hopes of Brazil's Maria Portela and Israel's Maya Goshen. It was a roller coaster that led to a final between the German and the Japanese with a favourable prognosis for the latter.
Saki Niizoe defeating Barbara Matic
Forty seconds was all it took Niizoe to win the fifth gold for Japan, with a low seoi-otoshi. It took longer to walk down the aisle to the tatami than to win. The German was slow to understand that a train was coming to run over her.
Saki Niizoe defeating Miriam Butkereit
Matic did not walk away empty-handed, defeating Petersen-Pollard for bronze.
Barbara Matic and Kelly Petersen-Pollard
Pérez sent Goshen flying in a spectacular ippon-seoi-nage to take her first World Judo Tour medal since 2019.
María Pérez
Final (-70 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-70 kg)
Final Results (-70 kg)
1. NIIZOE Saki
(JPN)
2. BUTKEREIT Miriam
(GER)
3. MATIC Barbara
(CRO)
3. PEREZ Maria
(PUR)
5. GOSHEN Maya
(ISR)
7. COUGHLAN Aoife
(AUS)
7. VAN DIJKE Sanne
(NED)
Medals, cheques and mascots were presented by Mr Sandor Csanyi, Honorary Vice President of the International Judo Federation, and Chairman & CEO of OTP Bank and Mrs Tünde Szabo, Government Commissioner for the Complex Development of the North-East Hungary Economic Development Zone of Hungary