-48kg: Stangar Aiming to Retain Dushanbe Crown Last year’s podium-topper at -48kg Marusa Stangar (SLO) returns to Dushanbe as the sixth seed, hoping to rediscover the form that won her back-to-back grand prix gold medals in May and June 2023. To reach the final again, she will have to get past the recent European Championship bronze medallist Catarina Costa (POR) and one of the dangerous Mongolian duo Baasankhuu Bavuudorj and Narantsetseg Ganbaatar, seeded third and sixth, respectively. If that wasn’t tricky enough, Stangar faces a potential final with her old nemesis and the top seed Milica Nikolic (SRB).
The seeded players won't have all the fun, however, as there are many potential challengers for the podium places. Arguably the most notable is the Swedish prodigy Tara Babulfath who, at just 18 years of age, is already a grand slam winner having struck gold in Baku earlier this year.
Double grand slam medallist Leyla Aliyeva (AZE) will be looking to go one better than her 5th place finish here last year, while Brazil and Türkiye each have two athletes present who are locked in tight battles for their respective Olympic places. Natasha Ferreira currently leads Amanda Lima in the rankings for Brazil, though neither are in a qualifying position. Meanwhile for Türkiye, Sila Ersin sits within the continental quota, with compatriot Tugde Beder only a few places behind. A good result for either of the trailing athletes could easily turn the tables.
-60kg: All Eyes on Kazakhstan The top two seeds at -60kg are the Kazakh pairing of Nurkanat Serikbayev and Magzhan Shamshadin. The country has a very difficult decision to make at the end of the qualification period with both judoka currently in direct qualification positions and two-time Olympic medallist Yeldos Smetov also in the running, lying just outside the qualifying spots.
Serikbayev currently leads the way but in Dushanbe he is likely to face a tough first contest against the double grand slam medallist Hayato Kondo (JPN) in round 2. Should he pass that test, a potential semi-final awaits with one of the surprise grand slam medallists of recent months Gamzat Zairbekov (AIN) or Matheus Takaki, or even the hosts' Muhammad Quvatov (TJK), who placed fifth here last year.
On the opposite side of the draw, Shamshadin may have to get past home favourite, sixth seed and bronze medallist from last year, Mehrzod Sufiev (TJK), or Portugal Grand Prix 2023 silver medallist Michel Augusto (BRA), who is seeded third. With Shamshadin and Smetov due to compete in their home grand slam in Astana next weekend, it will be vital for Serikbayev to earn a good result in Tajikistan to maintain his lead over both. Will he live up to his billing as the number one seed?
-52kg: Must-Win for Unseeded Kuznetsova The winner at -52kg in Dushanbe in 2023 was Alesia Kuznetsova (AIN), who took gold after an exhausting 29 minutes of contest time over 4 matches. En route, she defeated Sita Kadamboeva (UZB) in the semi-final and Gultaj Mammadaliyeva (AZE) in the final and both fighters join Kuznetsova in the draw once more, seeded third and second, respectively. With the Individual Neutral Athlete currently lagging in 45th place in the Olympic rankings, she will need to make it onto the podium here and in Astana next week to have any hope of qualifying for the Games.
Being unseeded this time, she may have to work even harder to do so. In round 1, she will face Ayumi Leiva Sanchez (ESP), who impressed by taking bronze in her first ever World Judo Tour event at the Antalya Grand Slam back in March. If she makes it to round 2, the number one seed and in-form Mascha Ballhaus (GER) awaits.
Mammadaliyeva and the other seeded athletes Angelica Delgado (USA) and Ana Viktoria Puljiz (CRO) currently occupy the final three direct Olympic qualification positions but there are several athletes in the draw who could overtake them with a favourable result here, including the Republic of Korea's Yerin Jung and Seyun Jang, fifth seed Aleksandra Kaleta (POL) and eighth seed Binta Ndiaye (SUI). With such talent everywhere to be found in the draw, there will be no easy route to a medal. Who will come out on top?
-66kg: Will Dzhebov Do the Double for the Hosts? Obid Dzhebov (TJK) sent the home crowd into a frenzy when he earned himself a gold medal in last year's event at -66kg, one which helped his country ascend to the top of the medal table. He returns to the fold as the fourth seed, aiming for further glory. To make it to the final, he will need to defeat the number one seed and France's selection for the Olympic Games, Walide Khyar (FRA), at the semi-final stage.
The other side of the draw is headed by the second and third seeds, Rio Olympic silver medallist Baul An (KOR) and Elios Manzi (ITA) who took a brilliant bronze medal in an all-Italian affair at the Zagreb European Championships last week. Manzi and compatriot Matteo Piras are neck-and-neck in the race for qualification, so with Piras absent from Dushanbe, and both players registered to compete in Astana next weekend, Manzi will be looking to create a gap between the two with a good result here.
Seeded players aside, the two Individual Neutral athletes Ivan Chernykh and Abrek Naguchev are both capable of causing an upset. Chernykh stunned his opponents at the Tbilisi Grand Slam in March, where he took gold in his first ever WJT event, defeating Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Margvelashvili (GEO) on the way, while Naguchev is already a double world champion, albeit at the cadet and junior levels. One thing's for sure, the -66kg category will be as open as ever.
-57kg: A Tenth Showdown for Klimkait and Cysique? No fewer than six of last year's top eight finishers at the Dushanbe Grand Prix 2023 are back again in 2024 hoping for further success. The gold medallist from last year, Shukurjon Aminova (UZB), is unseeded and faces an uphill battle, taking on fifth seed Enkhrillen Lkhagvatogoo (MGL) in round 1. The two bronze medallists, Veronica Toniolo (ITA) and Qi Cai (CHN) are seeded third and sixth, respectively, so could meet at the quarter-final stage.
The favourites though are unquestionably the top two seeds, Jessica Klimkait (CAN) and Sarah Leonie Cysique (FRA). The battle between Klimkait and her teammate Christa Deguchi (CAN) for Olympic qualification is going down to the wire once more, with Deguchi due to compete at the Qaqaqstan Barysy Grand Slam next week and both scheduled to compete at the Abu Dhabi World Championships a fortnight later.
Cysique has already been selected for the Games, so arrives in Dushanbe looking to improve her ranking and move into a seeded position. Since Cysique defeated Klimkait in the semi-final of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Klimkait has won all three of their encounters. Can both make it to the final this time? And can Cysique reverse her recent fortunes against the Canadian?
Get the answers to all the questions posed here and more by watching the event live on JudoTV.com. Catch all the action on day 1 from 10:00 local time on Friday 3rd May 2024.