“Of course, here we have a big number of athletes and countries. It is a good thing with this type of competition to new faces and younger athletes stepping up. However, in the -63 kg category we actually have the top 8 who are here, all as competitors at the Masters only last week, so this means it is a very good level and not so easy for the young ones to break through. They all are chasing more points, the experienced and newer judoka, looking for higher ranking, confirmations and the chance to practice.
Kim was a surprise as she is only at -63 kg for the second time on the WJT as she was -57 kg until very recently. Akdeniz (TUR) has also moved but down from 70 kg and is also fighting for a medal. It is only her 4th time at -63 kg so perhaps weight is not always the most important decision when there is great judo.
It was the first time in a final block for the Kazakh -73 kg athlete. Many competitors here are brought by clubs with permission of their respective national teams. There are others from the national teams of African nations needing to prepare for their continental championships and perhaps improve their seeding for that. These points are crucial for qualification for the Olympic Games for everyone, at this point in the cycle.
There was a big surprise from Dris (ALG), who beat the Mongolian world champion in Doha back in May and this time beat Gjakova (KOS) in the semi-final, having only lost to him on previous meetings. Dris brings a second day with an African country in a final and this is important in terms of qualification, inspiration and popularity. Also his participation in the final, fighting for gold, is a real first; no previous medals on the WJT.
At -70 kg we had the usual final, a relief for the home crowd. They both suffered on their route to the podium but were determined to make the hosts and the crowd happy. There is a lot of pressure on them both but with true champions there is often an extra will to succeed and they both showed that today. The whole country is behind them, their names were even spoken on the radio this morning.
At -81 kg, to find the DOM backpatch present in the final means yet another first-time medal winner, despite his many appearances. It is great progress to break through to the rostrum after so many years of work and effort. He was throwing for ippon and delivered great judo all day. He lacks a little finesse and control in the end stages of his techniques but has a lot of power and emphasis. Against Muki it was always going to be a big challenge; all world champions have something special and today Muki showed that. Both finalists were great to watch, for different reasons.”
Day 1 was great. Day 2 was great! It makes sense that day 3 will follow suit. Keep up with all the action for the champions, the newcomers and your favourites by tuning into JudoTV.