Masters Medallists Back for More:
Despite many of the top-ranked athletes taking a well-deserved rest after the Hungary World Judo Masters two weeks ago, some of those who climbed onto the podium in Budapest will return to the IJF World Tour tatami once again in Zagreb, looking to build on their medal-winning performances.
Maria Celia Laborde (USA) achieved one of the best results of her career to take silver at -48kg in Budapest and comes to Croatia seeded 3rd. The 33-year-old will not have an easy route to a medal, however, facing stiff competition, not least from top seed Milica Nikolic (SRB), who will be hoping to get her own back after her semi-final defeat to Laborde at the Masters.
Brazil’s Guilherme Schimidt has seen a return to form recently, after going almost a year without a World Tour medal. In Budapest he surprised everyone, beating both the current world champion Grigalashvili (GEO) and the current Olympic champion Nagase (JPN) en route to taking -81kg silver. He comes to Zagreb as the favourite and faces a thrilling potential final with number two seed Albayrak (TUR), should they both win through.
Also looking for additional metal after winning bronze medals at the Masters are Daria Bilodid (UKR) and Fanny Estelle Posvite (FRA). The Ukrainian double world champion has been going from strength to strength at -57kg, while Posvite has won two bronzes in as many attempts at -78kg and is looking to catch up with compatriots Tcheumeo and Malonga, who are well ahead in the race for their country’s guaranteed Olympic place in the category.
Adding to these big names, 15 more athletes who finished inside the top 8 in their respective categories in Budapest will be back in action this weekend. Expect some dominant performances and also plenty of surprises.
Young Disruptors on the Rise:
Many younger athletes present in Zagreb have had their first taste of silverware on the IJF World Tour in 2023 and will see this event as a great opportunity to continue their upward trajectories and their quests for Olympic qualification. Among them are Rosa Gyertyas (HUN), Rashid Mammadaliyev (AZE) and Mykhailo Svidrak (UKR). All three took brilliant silver medals in Linz at the inaugural Upper Austria Grand Prix at the end of May, at -52kg, -73kg and -81kg, respectively. However, all three have difficult draws to contend with. Gyertyas faces another rising star in number 2 seed Mammadaliyeva (AZE) in her opening contest, while namesake Mammadaliyev takes on Njie (GAM) in round 1 and Svidrak faces a potential quarter-final showdown with top seed Schimidt.
Lieke Derks (NED) was a revelation at the Hungary Masters 2023 at -78kg, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal after defeating three strong opponents. The 20-year-old Dutchwoman also won a bronze medal in Linz earlier this year but will have to get past the German top seeds Boehm and Wagner if she is to stand atop a World Tour podium for the first time.
At just 18 years old, Petros Christodoulides (CYP) was the youngest medallist in Linz, winning bronze at -60kg, but he already has extensive international experience behind him. If he can pass a likely 3rd-round test against Masters 5th place finisher Yildiz (TUR), he will stand a good chance of repeating his Upper Austria performance.
Many other juniors will be aiming to make their first splash at senior level on the World Judo Tour. The USA’s Jack Yonezuka, already a junior world bronze medallist, ascended to number 1 in the -73kg junior world rankings with a gold at the inaugural Skopje European Cup less than a week ago. Like older brother Nick at -81kg, he is already a regular on the international circuit, but is yet to take a major senior medal. Could this change in Zagreb?
Home Heroes Delighting the Crowd:
Croatia’s performance at its flagship judo event has improved with each edition since 2018, culminating in a 9th place finish in the medal rankings in 2022. This result was thanks, in part, to the country’s history-makers at -70kg, double world champion Barbara Matic, and world silver medallist Lara Cvjetko, Matic’s opponent in the 2022 Tashkent World Championships final. Both made it onto the podium at the Arena Zagreb in 2022, Matic struck gold, Cvjetko won bronze, and both are back again this year, hoping to inspire the team to climb the standings once again. With these judoka seeded 1 and 2, respectively, the two good friends and training partners will look to give the home crowd another all-Croatian final to cheer for.
The hosts’ medal hopes don’t end there, however. The -100kg category will see the Kumric brothers aiming to do their country proud; older brother Zlatko already has two World Tour bronze medals to his name so far this year, from Dushanbe and Astana, while younger sibling Marko will be keen to finally add another World Tour medal to his collection, a full 2 years after his first, which was a bronze medal at, you guessed it: the 2021 Zagreb Grand Prix.
The one-two attack of Iva Oberan and Katarina Kristo at -63kg will be fighting for their 4th and 2nd World Tour medals, respectively, and with 4 Croatian entrants at +78kg, no-one there can hide from the home team. In addition, Ana Viktoria Puljiz will be itching to rediscover the form that won her grand prix medals in Zagreb in 2021 and in Portugal in 2022 at -52kg. Can the hosts improve their position in the medal table for the 4th time in a row?
The Zagreb Grand Prix 2023 gets underway on Friday 18th August at 08:30 local time, with the 5 lightest categories. Catch all the action, follow your favourite athletes and predict the winners, all at judotv.com.