2014 Chelyabinsk Judo World Championships Book by Judophotos

CONTENTS 19 year old Ami Kondo of Japan is joyful after very narrowly winning the u48kg gold medal to add to her Cadet world title

Riki Nakaya of Japan retained the u73kg title for Japan

Current World and Olympic champion, Teddy Riner of France

Masashi Ebinuma of Japan releases tension as he walks on to the mat to win his second u66kg world title

Foreword by Marius Vizer

The Draw for the Individuals

Day 1: W u48 and M u60kg

Day 2: W u52 and M u66kg

Nae Udaka of Japan celebrates winning the u57kg gold medal

30 Day 3: W u57 and M u73kg 40 Day 4: W u63 and M u81kg

Natalia Kuziutina of Russia (blue) strongly attacks Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo but was unable to win the u52kg semi-final losing 001s3/000

50 Day 5: W u70, U78 and M u90kg 58 Day 6: W o78 and M u100, +100kg 74 Individual Category Statistics by Hans van Essen 134 Day 7: World Team Championships 146 Larisa Kiss interview 150 IJF(Vizer), Green Hill and Sambo

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152 The Judo Park and Chelyabinsk city 155 Szandra’s Volunteer article 157 Lance Wicks article 160 IJF’s “Did you know? Facts about Judo”

Anamari Velensek of Slovenia (white) is ecstatic after beating Kyong Sol of North Korea by a yuko (5 points) and winning the u78kg bronze medal

162 . Danny Hicks article 164 Acknowledgements

60 Mayra Aguiar of Brazil smiles and proudly shows her gold medal tinted with meteorite pieces

Karl-Richard Frey of Germany (white) defeated London Olympic champion, Tagir Khaibulaev of Russia by a yuko to win the u100kg bronze medal

Lukas Krpalek of the Czech Republic celebrates winning the u100kg final after holding Jose Armenteros of Cuba for an ippon (10 points)

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships Foreword The 30th edition of the World Championships, Chelyabinsk 2014, raised the spectacle of the flagship event of the IJF World Judo Tour to new heights. Judo is renowned for being one of the world’s most widely practiced sports and that has never been more evident than in Russia where 110 countries were represented on the premier stage of the circuit. The sport has undergone a revolution in its presentation as the action was captured by 50 cameras which provided live coverage all day long and the ultra-slow motion feature along with the crane cameras gave a fascinating perspective to fans watching around the world. Mr. Vladimir PUTIN, President of the Russian Federation and IJF Honorary President, a judo 8th Dan and avid follower of the thriving Olympic sport, joined me to watch the all-action Team Competition on the final day in Chelyabinsk. IJF Hall of Famers Franco CAPELLETTI (ITA) and Robert van de WALLE (BEL) were among the distinguished judo guests in attendance along with a number of National Federation Presidents. The seven-day world attraction dominated the sporting headlines around the world as 637 judoka (368 men, 251 women) battled for supremacy in Chelyabinsk. Seven obtained world gold for the first time while three judoka earned their second world title and three judoka joined an elite group of legends in capturing their third World Championships gold medal. The dominant athlete of heavyweight judo, Teddy RINER (FRA) won his seventh World Championship gold medal. The media interest surrounding him shows Riner’s superstardom and the power of the IJF World Judo Tour. The competition was broadcasted in over 90 countries, while more than 150 countries showed different contents of the Judo World Championships 2014. New judo heroes were created as 2 million fans consumed the action on the IJF Facebook page which attracted 6,000 new fans over the course of the week. The event trended on Twitter as #worldjudo2014 dominated the discussion on social media while video highlights on the IJF YouTube channel received over 1 million views. Media from 21 countries were accredited and produced comprehensive coverage on all platforms to satisfy the global demand. This e-book captures the key action of the competition. Judo fans around the world can relive the competition as they read the stories and view the contest photos in this e-book, which is the second time the IJF has done this (the first one was in Rio 2013). I would like to thank all those involved in the organization of this World Championships and especially the Russian Judo Federation and the Government of Chelyabinsk Region. Their dedication and efforts, along with their friendship and support were a key factor in the success of the Judo World Championships 2014. Marius Vizer President, International Judo Federation

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Top German, Laura Vargas Koch, was one of the judo stars displayed on posters all over the city of Chelyabinsk. See page 152

Judo sequences at pages 142 to 145

Georgii Zantaraia of Ukraine (white) counters Mohamed Abdelmawgoud of Egypt for ippon (10 points) on his way to the u66kg bronze medal

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships The Draw for the individuals The draw and press conference took place on Sunday afternoon (24 September) at the Radisson Blu Hotel as the delegations and athletes discovered who stands between them and world success. After a presentation of successful judoka from the Chelyabinsk region: Valeriy Dvoinickov, Grigoriy Verichev, Juriy Styopkin, Vitaly Makarov and Mansur Isaev, the floor was given to the delegates from the International Judo Federation and Russian Judo Federation. Mr. Marius Vizer, IJF and SportAccord

Reining World u63kg champion Yarden Gerbi of Israel (left) with Sally Conway of Great Britain and Lisa Kearney of Ireland, pose for the camera after training at the Yunost Sport Palace training hall

President, praised the early organisation and talked about the sport being a powerful tool to deliver solidarity, unity and respect. “Dear official guests, judoka, media and sponsors, on behalf of the IJF, I welcome you all to Chelyabinsk, Russia,” said Mr. Vizer. “I want to congratulate the organisers for the level of organisation and I wish all of you a successful World Championships. The event will deliver very high level solidarity, unit and respect for Russia which continues to be a leader in judo. I consider today in a difficult period of the Russian federation, the sport and the judo, is an important bridge to bring

Vice-President of the Russian Judo Federation, Dimitry Chernykh (at first right), addresses the coaches and team managers during the competition draw

Russia back to the community. I thank you for all your efforts to come over here to show solidarity to Russia.” Mr. Dimitriy Chernykh, RJF Vice President, said: “Dear friends it a great honour to welcome you all and such a big judo family in Chelyabinsk. “In the name of Russian Judo Federation President and of Governor of the Region, I welcome you and wish you good luck in Chelyabinsk.” Six members of the German Women’s team L-R, Martyna Trajdos, Miryam Roper, Laura Vargas Koch, Romy Tarangul, Iljana Marzok and Mareen Kraeh, pose for the camera after finishing training during the Chelyabinsk Judo World Championships at the Yunost Sport Palace training hall

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The four high profile judoka wait for their interview. L-R; Natalia Kuziutina RUS, Loic Pietri FRA, Shohei Ono JPN and Mayra Aguiar BRA

Four of the highest-profile athletes in judo attended the press conference to share their thoughts on the draw, the competition and to answer questions from the assembled media. World champion Loic Pietri (FRA) said: “I am not really worried by the draw, I am focusing on my judo and I am ready and confident.” Former world bronze medallist Natalia Kuziutina (RUS) said: “The championship in my home country is a great opportunity. I will try to make my public happy and to get a medal.” World champion Shohei Ono (JPN) was asked about his approach to fighting international judoka as opposed to Japanese fighters. The response from the highlyconfident Ono, 22, was emphatic as he said: “It doesn’t make any difference to me.” Olympic and world bronze medallist Mayra Aguiar (BRA) said: “My preparation was very nice, I feel strong. I feel good. I did only one competition this year (Tyumen Grand Slam) and I got gold. I think that I am well prepared.” Olympic champion Mansur Isaev shared some insight into the Russian camp as he said: “The team is feeling good and they are all ready to fight. I hope that in my weight

The electronic draw board for the u57kg category during the draw

category the best judo player still needs to be determined when I return to action.” Mark Pickering

The names of the 110 participating countries are carried into the giant room before Sunday’s individual’s draw

The British team of L-R, Ashley McKenzie, Colin Oates, Sally Conway and Natalie Powell, pose for the camera at the Yunost Sport Palace training hall

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships WOMENS 48KG DAY 1 WOMEN’S

48KG

The relative newcomer from Japan, Ami Kondo, who is a Cadet World gold medallist proves, at 19, to be unstoppable even though she is not ranked in the Top 10. In the 2013 Tokyo Grand Slam, she managed to beat both World number one, Urantsetseg Munkhbat of Mongolia and number two Sarah Menezes of Brazil. The Chelyabinsk Worlds are just a stepping stone for Rio 2016.

Alesya Kuznetsova of Russia (white) armlocks Sabrina Saidi of Algeria to submit and win their u48kg contest by an ippon (10 points)

Pool A

Top favorite Urantsetseg Munkhbat of Mongolia had to rely on penalties to get past her first opponent Xie Shishi of China. It was not an impressive way to begin the day. Things took a turn for the worse when she went against Japan’s newcomer Ami Kondo, who had earlier beaten Ebru Sahin of Turkey with a kouchi-makikomi takedown for yuko and a hold-down for ippon. Kondo surprised Munkhbat with a very low harai-makikomi for yuko. Munkhbat went after Kondo with numerous attempts at sankaku but to no avail. Time ran out on her. In her quarterfinal match, the plucky Kondo took the fight to Russia’s groundwork specialist Alesya Kuznetsova and pinned her for ippon. IJF referee Andreas Hemple of Germany signals ippon (10 points) after Boldbataar Ganbat of Mongolia holds Ahmet Sahin Kaba of Turkey on his way to the u60kg gold

Pool B

There was no upset in this pool as Cuba’s Maria Celia Laborde handily threw Kyrgyzstan’s Aizaada Zhanalieva with drop seoi-nage for waza-ari. But in the end she got ippon when Zhanalieva was given hansoku-make after accumulating four shidos. Laborde threw Kim Sol Mi of North Korea with a drop sode that’s so commonly used by Cuban female players. It scored only yuko but it was enough to win her the match. She had a much tougher fight against Hungary’s Eva Csernoviczki, whom she narrowly beat through penalties.

Pool C

France’s Amandine Buchard create the second upset of the day by defeating top favorite, Sarah Menezes of Brazil, by a small yuko from a drop sode attack. She went on to defeat Abigail Chindele of Zambia with two side takedowns, each scoring a waza-ari (thus giving her a wazaari-awasatte-ippon). She also defeated Maryna Cherniak of Ukraine, with a side takedown that scored waza-ari, to emerge top of her pool.

Pool D Nineteen year old Ami Kondo of Japan (white) defeated Ebru Sahin of Turkey with a hold for ippon (10 points) on her way to the u48kg (extra-lightweight) gold medal

Another mini-upset happened when Argentina’s 12th-ranked Paula Pareto upset Guinea-Bissau’s 4th-ranked Taciana Lima with a drop sode for waza-ari. Pareto was always close to the top at Olympic level, and was a bronze medalist in Beijing 2008. This was her first time shining at the World Championships. She went on to defeat Poland’s Ewa Konieczny by decision and Cuba’s Mestre Alvarez Dayaris by a yuko score from drop seoi-nage to top her pool.

Eventual gold medallist, Ami Kondo of Japan, holds Alesya Kuznetsova of Russia for ippon (10 points)

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Ami Kondo of Japan (blue), at just 19, is happy after defeating Urantsetseg Munkhbat of Mongolia, the u48kg (extra-lightweight) defending champion on her way to the gold medal

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Semifinal 1

The diminutive Kondo scored another upset, defeating Laborde with a harai-goshi for waza-ari and a hold-down for waza-ariawasatte-ippon.

Semifinal 2

Pareto won her match with a morote-seoinage for yuko against Buchard, who tried but could not get that score back.

Bronze 1

The Siberian tiger jumps into the cage and magically emerges as the mascot

A brilliant show by a Russian trapeze artist at the Opening Ceremony

Buchard scraped through and won the first bronze medal with a very low uchimata against Kuznetsova, which scored yuko. It was a good day for the French player.

Brazilian Japanese fans celebrate Asami reaching the final

Bronze 2

The second bronze medal match was an all-Cuban affair. Laborde prevailed over Dayaris with a seoi-nage throw for yuko and an immediate hold-down for ippon. The packed stadium audience stands at the Opening Ceremony

The Siberian tiger magically emerges as the mascot

The junior judoka acknowledge the audience’s welcome alongside the tournament’s mascot

The 110 country flags paraded at the culmination of the Opening Ceremony

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Maria Celia Laborde CUB (blue) defeated Ebru Sahin TUR by a wazari to win the u48kg repechage Nineteen year old Ami Kondo of Japan (white) defeated Paula Pareto of Argentina to win the u48kg gold medal

DAY 1 WOMEN’S

48KG

Final

Upstart Kondo won the gold through penalties (two shidos against Pareto). Although she failed to get any scores, Kondo had attacked regularly with harai-goshi and was relentless in groundwork. This made Pareto look relatively passive. It is a great result for Kondo, who is only 19 years of age. Her gold medal on the first day of competition made up for the surprise defeat of Naohisa Takato in the -60kg division, who had been expected to win the first gold for Japan. MEDAL ORDER Gold: Ami Kondo JPN, Silver: Paula Pareto ARG, Bronzes: Amandine Buchard FRA and Maria Celia Kuznetsova RUS 19 year old Ami Kondo of Japan is joyful after very narrowly winning the u48kg gold medal to add to her Cadet world title L-R: Silver; Paula Pareto ARG, Gold; Ami Kondo JPN, Bronzes; Amandine Buchard FRA and Maria Cellia Laborde CUB

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The spirit of Judo”; Paula Pareto of Argentina (blue) congratulates Ami Kondon of Japan after narrowly losing the u48kg gold medal to her

2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Under 48kg gold medallist, Ami Kondo of Japan, smiles and excitedly waves to her team mates

Under 48kg silver medallist, Paula Pareto of Argentina watches the live video on the centrally suspended screens

Under 48kg Bronze medallist, Maria Celia Laborde of Cuba

Under 48kg Bronze medallist, Amandine Buchard of France

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MENS -60KG DAY 1 MEN’S

60KG

There’s no question the top favorite in the -60kg division was Japan’s Naohisa Takato whose last defeat in the IJF world circuit was more than two years ago at the 2012 Dusseldorf Grand Prix. Since then, he has crushed all challengers. Along the way, he has picked up six IJF World Tour titles and a World Championship title as well. However, this journey was to prove more difficult.

2013 World champion, Naohisa Takato of Japan, had to be content with the u60kg bronze medal

Pool A

In his first match, Japan’s defending World Champion Naohisa Takato defeated Bulgaria’s Yanislav Gerchev with sutemi-waza, once for yuko and once for waza-ari. In that match, one of his front teeth actually got dislodged. His next fight was against the awkward Armenian, Hovhannes Davtyan, who likes to dominate his opponents with a high left-hand grip. Takato had obviously prepared for this and was able to negate Davtyan’s gripping strategy by locking down his left arm. He eventually beat the Armenian with an ouchi-gari for waza-ari and then another ouchi-gari, this time as a counter, for ippon. His quarterfinal match was against Israel’s Artiom Arshanki whom he dispatched with a well-timed uchimata sukashi for ippon.

Pool B Eventual bronze medallist, Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia (white) throws Ashley McKenzie of Great Britain for an ippon to win their u60kg contest

Ashley McKenzie of Great Britain attacks Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia but eventually lost their u60kg (extra-lightweight) match allowing Papinashvili to proceed to the bronze medal contest that he won

Pool C

Georgia’s powerhouse, Amiran Papinashvili was on top form and he demolished all comers on his way to the semifinal. First he threw Mooren of the Netherlands with a dynamic sacrifice-style hiza-guruma for a wazaari win. Next, he defeated Great Britain’s Ashley McKenzie with doublesleeve drop sode for waza-ari and a sacrifice-style kosoto-gari for wazaari-awasatte-ippon. He nearly came unstuck in his quarterfinal match against France’s Sofiane Milous, who scored in the opening seconds with a reverse seoi-nage that was awarded waza-ari. Milous then attacked with a very low ouchi-gari for yuko. Undaunted, Papinashvili clawed his way back, first throwing Milous with a fully committed harai-goshi that had both men flying through the air. Remarkably, Milous conceded only a yuko. After that, using a hand-technique, the Georgian managed to flip his French opponent over for waza-ari. In the final minute of their match, Papinashvili managed to pin Milous for an ippon.

Asami JPN (white) defeated Bogdan ROU

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The other three top seeds had a bye for the first round but Russia’s Beslan Mudranov had a fight in his first round, against Venezuela’s Javier Guedez, whom he countered for waza-ari. In the end, he won when Guedez accumulated four shidos and thus, hansoku-make. Next, he proceeded to defeat Pavel Petrikov of the Czech Republic with a double-sleeved drop sode-tsuri-komi-goshi for waza-ari followed by an armlock for ippon. After that, he defeated Brazil’s Eric Takabakate with kouchi-makikomi for ippon. South Korea’s relatively unknown Choi In Hyuk had done well getting all the way through the quarterfinal where he met Mudranov. But he was no match for the Russian, who threw him with a side takedown for waza-ari, immediately followed by a juji-gatame for ippon. It was a masterful display of transition into groundwork. It’s worth noting that Olympic Champion Arsen Galstyan recently moved up to the -66kg and did not compete in Chelyabinsk.

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Defending champion, Naoshi Takato of Japan struggles with Hovhannes Davryan of Armenia on his way to the u60kg (extra-lightweight) bronze medal

Pool D

Mongolia’s Ganbat Boldbaatar beat his first two opponents convincingly. First was Turkey’s Ahmet Sahin Kaba whom he countered for waza-ari then held down for waza-ariawasatte-ippon. Next was Taiwan’s Ming Yen Tsai, with a kosoto-gari counter for ippon. In his quarterfinal match, he had a harder time against Kazakhstan’s Aibek Imashev whom he defeated by yuko from an ouchi-gari attack. But he was through to the semifinal.

Amiran Papanashvili of Georgia (white) attacks Jeroen Mooren of Holland, eventually defeating him by a wazari, on his way to the u60kg bronze medal

Ashley Mckenzie of Great Britain (white) attacks Nabor Castillo of Mexico eventually defeating him by a yuko (5 points) to win their u60kg contest

Naohisa Takato always stares rigidly at his opponents as they walk on the mat

Former World champion, Naohisa Takato of Japan (white) attempts to throw Hovhannes Davtyan of Armenia on his way to the u60kg bronze medal

Beslan Mudranov of Russia holds Pavel Petrikov of the Czech Republic on his way to the u60kg final

Diyorbek Urozboev of Uzbekistan (blue) throws Olympic bronze medallist, Felipe Kitadai of Brazil for ippon

Former World champion, Naohisa Takato of Japan (white) throws Hovhannes Davtyan of Armenia for an ippon on his way to the u60kg bronze medal

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MENS -60KG Closely watched by the referee, Beslan Mudranov of Russia (blue) attempts an armlock on former World champion Naohisa Takato of Japan eventually defeating him to reach the final

Beslan Mudranov of Russia (blue) throws former World champion Naohisa Takato of Japan without a score but eventually defeated him to reach the final and the u60kg silver medal

Defending World champion, Naohisa Takato of Japan, is unable to believe he lost the semi-final by a shido penalty

Semifinal 1

The Match of the Day must have been Takato’s fight against Mudranov, which saw both players going all out, resulting in many overthrows and flights in the air. Both had scored yuko each and the only thing that separated them in the end was a shido that Takato had received for straying outside the contest area. That was a bit controversial because although he did stray out, it was in the midst of a grip fight. Takato was clearly upset after the match because of a throw that was downgraded from waza-ari to yuko and another one that was cancelled after it was initially given a yuko. In both cases, the referee’s calls were over-ridden by the video judges after they reviewed the throws. Video analysis shows that both were the right calls. The first one, which was an overthrow, saw Mudranov landing on his side, which merited a yuko not a waza-ari. The second one had Mudranov landing on his backside, which doesn’t merit a score.

Semifinal 2 Defending World champion, Naohisa Takato of Japan, is unable to believe he lost the semi-final by a shido penalty

In contrast, the other semi-final match was rather boring. Boldbataar won the fight through penalties. He had two shidos to Papinashvili’s three.

Bronze 1

In the first bronze medal fight between Arshanki and Papinashvili, the Israeli scored first with a seoi-nage for yuko. He seemed to be on the way towards winning the match when in the final moments, a desperate seoi-nage attack allowed Papinashvili to counter him for waza-ari.

Bronze 2

Takato got the shock of his life when he got countered by Imashev for waza-ari. During the subsequent groundwork attack by Imashev, Takato’s mouth started to bleed due to the injury from his broken tooth from his first fight. His treatment caused a long delay in the match. But when he came back, he did so with a fury, dumping his opponent with an ura-nage for ippon. 14

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Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia (blue) throws Arliom Arshanski of Israel without score but eventually won the u60kg bronze medal by a wazari (7 points)

Enjoying the moment, Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia, smiles after winning the u60kg bronze medal.

Referee Andreas Hemple of Germany signals ippon after Boldbataar Ganbat of Mongolia holds Ahmet Sahin Kaba of Turkey to progress to the u60kg gold medal

Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia celebrates winning the u60kg bronze medal with the ‘thumbs up’ to the photographers

Naohisa Takato of Japan (blue) resists a strangle by Albek Imashev of Kazakstan but ended up with bleeding from his mouth. His revenge was to score an immediate ippon (10 points) to win the u60kg bronze medall

Naohisa Takato of Japan (blue) counters Albek Imashev of Kazakstan to score ippon (10 points) and win the u60kg bronze medal

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60KG Final

The final was clearly a tactical match where both players were wary of each other. Mudranov received a shido for stepping out. Then both men got shido each for not attacking. The closest thing to a scoring throw was when Boldbaatar executed a drop seoi-nage that sent Mudranov flying but the Russian ended up landing on his front. Boldbaatar also nearly countered Mudranov’s side takedown attempt but again no score here. Boldbataar was content to let the time run out and won the gold medal by penalties, one shido against Mudranov’s two. He is the second Mongolian male to win a world title (after Tsagaanbaatar Khashbaatar at -66kg). Last year Munkhbat Urantsetseg took the world title for Mongolia at -48kg, and in 2008 they had an Olympic gold medallist in Naidan Tuvshinbayar at -100kg. This country of three million is truly an emerging judo nation. MEDAL ORDER Gold: Boldbaatar Ganbat MGL, Silver: Beslan Mudranov RUS, Bronzes: Amiran Papinashvili GEO and Naoshi Takato JPN

Beslan Mudranov of Russia (white) was left with the u60kg silver medal after he incurred two penalty points in the final

Boldbaatar Ganbat of Mongolia expresses his immediate joy at winning the u60kg gold medal

Boldbaatar Ganbat of Mongolia (blue) throws the athletic Beslan Mudranov of Russia without a score

L-R: Silver; Beslan Mudranov RUS, Gold; Boldbaatar Ganbat MGL, Bronzes; Amiran Papinashvili GEO and Naohisa Takato JPN

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Wearing his meteor encrusted u60kg gold medal, Boldbaatar Ganbat of Mongolia stands to attention for the Mongolian national anthem

Under 60kg silver medallist, Beslan Mudranov of Russia

Under 60kg bronze medallist and former World champion, Naohisa Takato of Japan

Under 60kg bronze medallist, Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships WOMENS 52KG DAY 2 WOMEN’S

52KG

There was one clear favourite in the -52kg category and that was Kosovo’s Majlinda Kelmendi competing under the IJF’s flag. Previously, Japan’s Yuki Hashimoto had given Kelmendi some difficulty in the 2013 Rio World Championships were Kelmendi defeated Hashimoto by penalties. However, Kelmendi, did not meet Hashimoto this time as she powered her way to the final.

Pool A

There’s no bigger favorite in this category than Kosovo’s Majlinda Kelmendi who was fighting for the IJF. It took her less than two minutes to dispatch her first opponent, Vanessa Cortesia of Venezuela with her trademark uchimata for ippon. Her next opponent, Mongolia’s Bundmaa Munkhbaatar, proved harder to throw and Kelmendi had to rely on penalties to get her through to the next round. But it wasn’t a close fight. The Mongolian had racked up three shidos by the end of the match. Perhaps incensed by her inability to throw her previous opponent, Kelmendi gave it all she got to Cuba’s Yanet Bermoy Acosta of Cuba, throwing her first with uchimata for waza-ari and then a counter for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon. And with that, she topped her pool. Erika Miranda of Brazil (blue) strangles Yingnan Ma of China into submission for an ippon (10 points) to reach the u52kg semi-final

Pool B

Like many Japanese female players, Yuki Hashimoto is a groundwork specialist and true to form, she won her first match, against Tunisia’s Hela Ayari, with a pin that transformed into an armlock for ippon. Hashimoto also relied on newaza for her next win, pinning France’s Priscilla Gneto for ippon. She didn’t have a chance to work her newaza magic on Russia’s Natalia Kuziutina though, as she got thrown with the biggest hip throw for an ippon that had the crowd roaring. The Russian had earlier defeated Ukraine’s Oleksandra Starkova with a pin for ippon and Germany’s Romy Tarangul through penalties.

Pool C

Mareen Kraeh of Germany (white) throws Tetiana Levytska of Ukraine for ippon to reach the u52kg quarter-final

Pool D

Natalia Kuziutina of Russia (blue) throws Yuki Hashimoto of Japan for a spectacular ippon (10 points) to reach the u52kg semi-final

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Brazil’s Erika Miranda defeated her first opponent, Turkmenistan’s Gulbadam Babamuratova, with a sankaku hold-down for ippon. She scraped through her second match, defeating Spain’s Laura Gomez with a rolling hip throw that scored yuko. Her next match, against China’s Yingnan Ma, was more decisive, with an ippon win from a strangle. She was through to the semifinal.waza-ari- awaseteippon. It was an impressive ride to the top of her pool. The top seed in this pool was Germany’s Mareen Kraeh but it was Romania’s Andreea Chitu who prevailed. Chitu had a harrowing first match though against Christianne Legentil from Mauritius who threw her with ouchi-gari for waza-ari (ippon was initially called but it was downgraded by the video judges). Chitu fought back and threw Legentil with a sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi for waza-ari. In the last minute, Legentil struck again with ouch-gari, this time scoring yuko. If you remember Legentil, she was the one who had defeated Kelmendi at the 2012 London Olympic Games. All seemed lost when Chitu pulled out a stunning uchimata that landed the Mauritian for ippon. Chitu made short work of her next opponent, Italy’s Odette Giuffrida, throwing her first with uchimata for waza-ari, then a kosoto counter for ippon. She was just as impressive in her next match, against top-seed Kraeh, throwing her with a very low, rolling uchimata for waza-ari, and then another remarkably low uchimata for ippon.

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Mareen Kraeh of Germany (blue) lost to Yingnan Ma of China for the u52kg bronze medal

DAY2 WOMEN’S

52KG

Semifinal 1

Kelmendi had a tough time with Kuziutina and it was only in the last minute that she scored the decisive yuko point, through a counter, to win her the match. It was a close one.

Semifinal 2

Miranda scored early with an ouchi-gari that scored waza-ari and held onto her lead. However, in the final minute, Chitu whipped out another one of her very low uchimatas that scored ippon.

Bronze 1

The first bronze medal match was a scoreless one. In the end, Miranda defeated Bermoy Acosta by penalties.

Bronze 2

A yuko score from sumi-gaeshi was enough for Kuziutina to defeat China’s Ma. It was not a very exciting match but the home crowd had something to cheer for.

Van Snick of Belgium armlocked Laborde CUB for ippon

Natalia Kuziutina of Russia (blue) strongly attacks Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo but was unable to win the u52kg semi-final

Erika Miranda of Brazil (blue) smiles broadly after defeating former World champion, Yanet Bermoy Acosta of Cuba, to win the u52kg bronze medal

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Defending World champion, Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo (white) defeated Andreea Chitu of Romania with this wazari throw to retain her u52kg World title

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52KG

Final Chitu, who had shown remarkable form throughout the day, was simply outclassed by Kelmendi, who threw her with a hip throw for waza-ari and then an uchimata for yuko. It wasn’t an ippon win but it was a solid victory nonetheless. Kelmendi had secured her second world title which was widely celebrated in her country, where she is a big star. MEDAL ORDER Gold: Majlinda Kelmendi IJF, Silver: Andreea Chitu ROU, Bronzes: Erika Miranda BRA and Natalia Kuziutina RUS

Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo collapses with emotion after defeating Andreea Chitu of Romania to win her second u52kg World gold medal

A model waits to hand over the medals for the medal ceremony

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The excellent trophies ready for the medallists

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Gold medalist Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo

Bronze medallist, Erika Miranda of Brazil

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Silver medallist, Andreea Chitu of Romania

Natalia Kuziutina RUS 48kgs bronze

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships INDIVIDUALS

DAY 2 MEN’S

66KG

Japan’s Masashi Ebinuma was ranked 3rd but was by far the best bet for the gold medal. Principally a left-handed player, Ebinuma likes to do drop morote-seoi-nage and uchimata to the left. In recent years, he has also developed a reverse seoi-nage to the left. He won the 2013 Rio World Championships final in grand style and this championships was not going to be any different.

Japanese fans cheering for Kengo Taichi as he reached the u66kg semi-final

Pool A

The man to watch in this pool was Brazil’s up-and-coming Charles Chibana. The former -60kg double World Champion Rishod Sobirov was in this category too. But the one who prevailed was France’s Loic Korval who relied on tai-otoshi and seoi-nage to take him all the way to the semi-final. First, he dispatched Papua New Guinea’s Ashaan Nelson with a very fast, very low, spinning tai-otoshi for yuko and proceeded to pin him for ippon. Next, he threw USA’s Bradford Bolen with two very low, rolling seoi-nages for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon. With Belarussian Dzmitry Shershan, Korval mixed it up a bit, first throwing him with his trademark spinning tai-otoshi and then a drop seoi-nage for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon. In his quarterfinal match against Sobirov, he first threw with a low osoto-gari for waza-ari, followed by a drop seoi-nage for ippon.

Pool B

Unlike Sobirov who is still finding his feet in this new weight class Ukraine’s Georgii Zantaraia has adjusted well and was an exciting prospect in this pool. However, also in this pool was Japan’s double World Champion Masashi Ebinuma who was not seeded as he had been away due to an injury. But in Chelyabinsk, he was in top form, strangling his first opponent, Aruba’s Jaime Mata for ippon. Next, it was kouchi-makikomi against North Korea’s Hyon Song Chol for waza-ari. He lit up the scoreboard in his match against Kazakhstan’s Sergey Lim, first throwing him with osoto-gari for yuko. Then a massive sode-tsuri-komi-goshi to the right which scored only a yuko because it was an overthrow. To show his versatility, Ebinuma proceeded to throw Lim with drop sodetsuri-komi-gohi to the left, scoring waza-ari. Finally, he launched Lim with a hip throw for a waza-ari-awasatte ippon. It was a masterful display of judo. His quarterfinal match against Zantaraia was the Match of the Day, with many overthrows and near-throws which would have landed most players flat on their backs. But the acrobatic Zantaraia always managed to land on his front. In the end Ebinuma won by penalties in Golden Score. This match was a clear indication of the gymnastics capabilities a top level judoka should have.

Russian VIP guest, Andrey Sagaygasimov, takes a ‘selfie’ picture with World champion, Masashi Ebinuma of Japan

Pool C

Russia’s innovative Mikhail Pulyaev opened up the accounts with a drop morote-seoi nage against Moldavia’s Valeri Muravski for waza-ari and then followed up with a classic kouchi-gari for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon. Against his Tunisian opponent, Houcem Khalfaoui, he used his trademark cross-gripped side takedown to score waza-ari and then a cross grip seoi-nage into osoto-gari combination for ippon. His Portuguese opponent Diogo Cesar was wary of Pulyaev’s attacks and managed to fend them off but in the process accrued four shidos and thus hansoku-make. This pit Pulyaev against his teammate, Kamal Khan-Magomedov. Instead of an exciting match like you’d expect when two top Japanese face each other, these two Russian players looked like they were doing light randori. Khan-Magomedov didn’t even try any attacks and got hansoku-make after accumulating four shidos after about two minutes. It was quite a disappointing quarterfinal. 22

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Charles Chibana of Brazil (white) throws Taeho Youn of South Korea for ippon in the u66kg category

DAY2 MEN’S

66KG Pool D

After the first day’s gold medal win by the Mongolian Ganbat Boldbataar in the -60kg division, there were great expectations from Tumurkhuleg Davaadorj. But he was knocked out of contention in third round match when he unexpectedly got pinned by Duanbin Ma of China. Instead, the player that came through was Japan’s newcomer Kengo Takaichi who had won his first match, against Hungary’s Bence Zambori with a drop sodetsuri-komi-goshi for ippon. He had a tougher time against Spain’s Sugoi Uriarte and had to rely on penalties to win. His next match, against Britain’s Colin Oates, was tough as well and he got through with just a yuko score from a reverse seoi-nage. He was back on form in his quarterfinal match, against Ma, whom he threw with a superb morote-seoi-nage for ippon. With this win, there would be two Japanese players in the semifinals.

Oates of Great Britain holds Choi Kim of South Korea for ippon

Tobias Englmaier GER beat UROZBOEV, Diyorbek Urozboev UZB by ipoon

Askhat Telmanov KAZ armlocks Tom Pappas AUS

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Zantaraia of Ukraine (white) throws Batsuuri Adiya of Mongolia for ippon

Masashi Ebinuma of Japan (blue) throws the European champion, Loic Korval of France without score eventually winning the u66kg semi-final after Korval received 2 penalties

European champion, Loic Korval of France (blue) drops on one knee to throw Dzimitry Shershan of Belorussia for ippon

Tobias Englmaier GER beat UROZBOEV, Diyorbek Urozboev UZB by ipoon

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Askhat Telmanov KAZ armlocks Tom Pappas AUS

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DAY 2 MEN’S

66KG

Masashi Ebinuma of Japan (white) throws Sergey Lim of Kazakstan for an ippon (10 points) on his way to his second u66kg gold medal

Semifinal 1

France’s Korval was outclassed by Ebinuma but he managed to avoid conceding any scores. His incurred penalties though and in the end, he had two shidos on the board. Ebinuma was through to the final.

Semifinal 2

It was a close fight between Pulyaev and Takaichi. In the final minute, all that separated the two was a shido penalty that the Japanese had incurred. In the last 20 seconds, Takaishi came in with a desperate reverse seoi-nage that was countered by Pulyaev for waza-ari.

Oates of Great Britain holds Choi Kim of South Korea for ippon

European champion, Loic Korval of France (blue) throws Dzimitry Shershan of Belorussia for ippon to reach the u66kg quarter-final

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European champion, Loic Korval of France (white) reached the semi-final and lost to Masashi Ebinuma of Japan by 2 shidos then finished 5th in the u66kg category

DAY 2 MEN’S

66KG Bronze 1

As expected, the Zantaraia vs Takaichi fight would be a brutal one. There was no score on either side but at the end of the match, Zantaraia was ahead by shido. It was a hard fought victory.

Bronze 2

Khan-Magomedov won his bronze medal with a counter against Korval’s drop seoi-nage attempt. Russia was now guaranteed of two medals.

Van Snick of Belgium armlocked Laborde CUB for ippon

Georgii Zantaraia of Ukraine (blue) defeated former world champion, Rishod Sobirov of Uzbekistan in extra time by a wazari to win their u66kg repecharge match

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Masashi Ebinuma of Japan (blue) throws the European champion, Loic Korval of France without score eventually winning the u66kg semi-final after Korval received 2 penalties

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Kamal Khan-Magomedov of Russia raises his hands to his Russian fans after winning the u66kg bronze medal

Kengo Takaichi of Japan (right) lost the u66kg bronze medal to former World champion, Georgii Zantaraia of Ukraine after extra time

Georgii Zantaraia of Ukraine (right) comforts Kengo Takaichi of Japan after defeating him to win the u66kg bronze medal

Kamal Khan-Magomedov of Russia (white) throws European champion, Loic Korval of France, for a yuko to win the u66kg bronze medal the u66kg bronze medal

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Final In contrast to his earlier battle with Zantaraia, Ebinuma’s final against Pulyaev seemed like a cakewalk. It took him about two minutes to settle on the grip he wanted and then he launched the Russian with a massive hip-throw uchimata for a beautiful ippon. Ebinuma was now a three-time world champion just like Japan’s head coach, Kosei Inoue. MEDAL ORDER Gold: Masashi Ebinuma JPN, Silver: Mikhail Pulyaev RUS, Bronzes: Georgii Zantaraia UKR and Kamal Khan-Magomedov RUS

Under 66kg medallists L-R: Silver; Mikhail Pulyaev of Russia, Gold; Masashi Ebinuma of Japan, Bronzes; Georgi Zantaraia of Ukraine and Kamal Khan-Magomedov of Russia. Former World and Olympic champion and Japanese Judo President, Haruki Uemura, presented the medals

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Masashi Ebinuma of Japan (left) defeated Mikhail Pulyaev of Russia to win his second u66kg world title

Masashi Ebinuma of Japan releases tension as he walks on to the mat to win his second u66kg world title

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Masashi Ebinuma of Japan (white) throws Mikhail Pulyaev of Russia for ippon (10 points) to win the u66kg (half lightweight) gold medal

2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Under 66kg silver medallist, Mikhail Pulyaev of Russia

Under 66kg double gold medallist, Masashi Ebinuma of Japan

Under 66kg bronze medallist and former World champion, Georgi Zantaraia of Ukraine

Kamal Khan-Magomedov of Russia proudly shows his u66kg bronze medal

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships WOMENS 57KG DAY 3 WOMEN’S

57KG

The -57kg division has a lot of top contenders with the defending champion, Kaori Matsumoto making a comeback. The top seeds were Germany’s Miryam Roper, Brazil’s Rafaela Silva, France’s Automne Pavia and the USA’s Marti Malloy. While Malloy caused a sensation only Pavia reached the semi-final and a medal while Japan still retained the title through Nae Udaka.

Marti Malloy of the USA (white) flips Olympic and World champion, Kaori Matsumoto of Japan onto the mat before armlocking her into submission

Pool A

The top seed for this pool was Germany’s Miryam Roper but she bowed out early, losing her first match to Cuba’s Aliuska Ojeda, who countered her trademark kosoto to score ippon. The surprise victor for this pool was Japan’s Nae Udaka who had to rely on penalties to win her first match, against Colombia’s Yadinys Amaris. She also won her next match, against Cuba’s Aliuska Ojeda, through penalties. Her first score of the day was against the Dutch player Sanne Verhagen, whom she threw with her favourite osoto-gari for ippon.

Pool B

In her first match, France’s Automne Pavia dominated with her usual high grip and threw China’s Yan Liu with a very low koshi-guruma for waza-ari. She had a much harder time in her second match, against Poland’s Arleta Podolak. Pavia opened up the accounts with an uchimata which scored yuko. Podolak responded with an uchimata makikomi that scored waza-ari. Pavia then decided to pile on the penalties and she dominated Podolak to the extent that the Polish player eventually accumulated four shidos, and thus hansoku-make. Against the experienced Austrian fighter, Sabrina Filzmoser (who was competing in her 10th World Championships), Pavia relied on ashi-waza, throwing her opponent first with kosoto-gari for waza-ari, then an osoto-kosoto combination for ippon.

Marti Malloy of the USA (white) armlocks Olympic and World champion, Kaori Matsumoto of Japan into submission and causing a major upset in the u57kgs category

Pool C

The top favorite in this pool was Brazil’s Rafaela Silva but she was yet another favorite who failed to top her pool. Instead, it was the Mongolian Sumiya Dorjsuren who managed that feat. She made short work of her first opponent, Israel’s Camila Minakawa, throwing her first with a seldom seen yoko-wakare for waza-ari, then a morote-seoi-nage for yuko and finally a drop ippon-seoi-nage for waza-ari-awasatteippon. She again used morote-seoi-nage to win her second fight, throwing Hungary’s Hedvig Karakas for waza-ari. Her fight against Silva was a hard fought one. Dorjsuren scored first, using a rolling sleeve-grip seoi-nage to score waza-ari. Then Silva struck back with a kosoto-gari which also scored waza-ari. By the end of the match, Silva had one more shido than Dorjsuren so it was the Mongolian that got through to the semifinal.

Pool D

Japan’s 2012 London Olympic Champion Kaori Matsumoto was not a top seed as she had not competed much this year but she was certainly the favorite. She didn’t look too sharp in her first bout though, against North Korea’s Ri Hyo Sun, where she had to rely on penalty to win. Things took a turn for the worse in her second bout, against USA’s Marti Malloy, who footswept and armlocked her into submission. Matsumoto’s quest for gold was over. Portugal’s Telma Monteiro, who had been training hard in Japan, looked to be in top form throwing her first opponent, Kazakhstan’s Sevara Nishanbayeva, for ippon with drop ippon-seoi-nage. Next, Monteiro threw her USA’s Malloy in the opening seconds of their match, with a drop sode for yuko, which was enough for her to win the match. Against Switzerland’s Fabienne Kocher, she again relied on drop sode, first throwing her for waza-ari and then for ippon.

Aliuska Ojeda of Cuba (blue) defeated Miryam Roper of Germany, here attempting an armlock, by an ippon (10 points) in the second round of the u57kg category

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Semifinal 1 In the first semifinal, Udaka scored against Pavia early with an osoto-gari for yuko and held onto to that lead until the end. Although she racked up two shidos, her yuko was worth more. She was through to the final.

Semifinal 2 Monteiro used drop sode yet again and threw Dorjsuren for ippon to earn her a place in the final. It was an impressive return to form for the Portuguese.

Bronze 1 A seoi-nage by Verhagen scores yuko against Dorjsuren, which was enough for her to win the bronze. It was her best result ever.

Bronze 2 The match between Silva and Pavia was a tense one with each player scoring yuko each. Silva scored first with a counter while Pavia responded with an uchimata. In Golden Score, Paviaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aggressiveness causes Silva to get another penalty. The bronze went to Pavia.

Defending World champion, Rafaela Silva of Brazil (white), lost the u57kg bronze medal contest to Automne Pavia of France

Defending World champion, Rafaela Silva of Brazil (white), lost the u57kg bronze medal contest to Automne Pavia of France attacking here

Rafaela Silva of Brazil (white) catches Automne Pavia of France in an attempt to score against her but eventually lost their u57kg bronze medal contest Dutch u57kg bronze medallist, Sanne Verhagen and her British coach, Mark Earle, after being interviewed at the press zone

Nae Udaka of Japan (white) scores a decisive yuko (5 points) throw against Automne Pavia of France in the u57kg semi-final that led to the gold medal

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Sanne Verhagen of Holland celebrates defeating Sumiya Dorjsuren of Mongolia for the bronze medal

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Final The gold medal match was evenly fought and eventually went into Golden Score. Udaka won when during a sasae-tsuri-komigoshi attack, Monteiro instinctively grabbed Udaka’s leg thus incurring a hansoku-make disqualification under the new rules. It was yet another unexpected gold medal from Japan’s female team (after Kondo’s surprise victory in the -48kg division).

Telma Monteiro of Portugal (blue) grips Nae Udaka of Japan but lost the u57kg gold medal after being disqualified in extra time

MEDAL ORDER Gold: Nae Udaka JPN, Silver: Telma Monteiro POR, Bronzes: Sanne Verhagen NED and Automne Pavia FRA Nae Udaka of Japan celebrates winning the u57kg gold medal The Japanese fans are excited at Nae Udaka winning the u57kg gold medal

Telma Monteiro of Portugal (blue) attacks Nae Udaka of Japan but could not prevent Udaka winning the u57kg gold medal

Under 57kg medallists L-R: Silver; Telma Monteiro of Portugal, Gold; Nae Udaka of Japan, Bronzes; Sanne Verhagen of Holland and Automne Pavia of France ormer Olympic and World champion, Yasuhiro Yamashita of Japan, presented the medals

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Under 57kg gold medallist, Nae Udaka of Japan

Under 57kg bronze medallist, Automne Pavia of France

Under 66kg silver medallist, Mikhail Pulyaev of Russia

Under 57kg bronze medallist, Sanne Verhagen of Holland

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MENS 73KG

DAY 3 MEN’S

73KG

The top positions in the IJF world rankings were held by Rok Draksic followed by Dirk Van Tichelt. That meant that as the top athletes who had garnered the most IJF points, the best positions in the draw would be theirs. But it didn’t mean they were the top favorites for the category though. Rather, all eyes were on Shohei Ono, the defending champion but he was in for a very rough ride while his team mate, Riki Nakaya had it considerably easier.

Pool A

The top seed in this pool was takedown specialist Rok Draksic of Slovenia but the top favorite had to be Japan’s 2013 Rio World Champion Shohei Ono, who was not seeded as he had missed many tournaments this year due to a suspension due to disciplinary issues relating to his university team. Most spectators would have expected Ono to come back with a vengeance and it certainly looked to be that way as he stormed into the quarterfinal brimming with confidence. Indeed he looked to be the dominant fighter but a well-timed footsweep by South Korean newcomer Lee Young Jun landed Ono flat on his back. The defending champion was out of the competition. The man Lee would go on to fight was little-known Yertugan Torenov from Kazakhstan, who had done well defeating Draksic by ippon earlier. Before that, he had beaten Nauru’s Sled Dowabobo with a pin for ippon and Cyprus’s Phedia Konnaris by uchimata, also for ippon. In his quarterfinal match, Torenov defeated Lee with a low, rolling hip throw and an ura-nage for yuko each.

Pool B

Japanese fans celebrate Riki Nakaya’s u73kg quarter-final victory after earlier disappointments saw 2 Japanese favourites exit early

Dirk Van Tichelt of Belgium was the top seed in this pool. The 2013 World Silver Medalist Ugo Legrand of France was also in this pool. But it was would be dark horse Hong Kuk Hyon of North Korea who would emerge victorious. Hong had a hard ride to the top. He had to rely on penalties to defeat his first opponent, Andre Alves of Portugal. That pit him up against Legrand, whom he launched with a massive uchimata that scored only yuko because it was an overthrow. Nevertheless, it was enough to bring him through to the quarterfinal where he threw Van Tichelt twice with drop seoi-nage for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon. He was through to the semifinal. Everyone wondered who this new kid on the block from North Korea was but he was, in fact, an Asian Champion. He just had not taken part in many IJF circuit events.

A fan takes a ‘selfie’ picture with under 73kg gold medallist, Riki Nakaya of Japan

The referees gather for a meeting before the competitors and public arrive

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Riki Nakaya of Japan retained the u73kg title for Japan

DAY 3 MEN’S

73KG Pool C

The top seed in this pool was the upcoming Israeli player Sagi Muki, who was third in the IJF World Ranking, but the real favorite in this pool was 2011 Paris World Champion Riki Nakaya. In the past year, Nakaya had been eclipsed by Ono who had won his gold medal in Rio with style. But he was in Chelyabinsk as the second Japanese player in the -73kg weight class. His first fight was with Muki, whom he dispatched with a double-lapel drop seoi-nage for waza-ari. Next, he beat his Chinese opponent, Yinjirigala Sai, in spectacular fashion, with an unusual sleeve grip ippon-seoi-nage. Nakaya had a much harder time against Azerbaijan’s Rustam Orujov who had dominate the grips and was ahead by two shidos when in the last minute, Nakaya managed to spring a haraigoshi surprise that took Orujov down for yuko. But it was enough to see him through to the semifinal.

Pool D

The top seed in this pool, Victor Scvortov, was originally from Moldova but was now fighting for United Arab Emirates. He won his first match, against Gabon’s Terence Kouamba Poutoukou Junior, within seconds with a strangle. He also won his next match, against Uzbekistan’s Sarvar Shomurodov, with groundwork, a sankaku-jime submission for ippon. When his French opponent, Pierre Duprat, stumbled on the ground after a failed opening attack, Scvortov immediately applied a strangle for ippon. His toughest match was against Russian home favorite Musa Mogushkov. Scvortov threw the Russian with a sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi early in the match and held onto that lead until the end

Defending World champion, Shohei Ono of Japan (white) armlocked Damian Szwarnowiechi of Poland into submission to win his first u73kg contest Under 73kg gold medallist, Riki Nakaya of Japan, is greeted by Japanese fans

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Semifinal 1

Hong had a tough time against the unorthodox Torenov but managed to throw him with an osoto-gari that scored waza-ari for a place in the final.

Semifinal 2

In a brutal battle against Scvortov, Nakaya pulled off a reverse seoi-nage that scored yuko and held on to that lead until the end.

Riki Nakaya of Japan (white) scored a yuko with a reverse seoi-nage against Victor Scvortov of UAE

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Musa Mogushkov of Russia (white) points to his fans after defeating Yertugan Torenov of Kazakhstan by a wazari

DAY 3 MEN’S

73KG Bronze 1

The first bronze medal match, between Scvortov and Lee, was a cagey fight with no real attempts at a throw by either player. The match went into Golden Score where Scvortov threw Lee with a kosoto-gari counter against the South Korean’s poorly executed ouchi-gari. Ippon was scored and Scvortov had won UAE its first ever world championship medal.

Bronze 2

Mogushkov gave the home crowd something to cheer about when he countered Torenov’s ura-nage to score waza-ari, a point he held onto until the end. Bronze for Russia.

Victor Scvortov of United Arab Emirates (blue) sweeps the feet from underYoung Jun Lee of Korea to score an ippon (10 points) and win the u73kg bronze

Musa Mogushkov of Russia (white) counters Yertugan Torenov of Kazakhstan for a wazari (7 points) to win the u73kg bronze medal

Musa Mogushkov of Russia (white) attacks Yertugan Torenov of Kazakhstan with Mogushkov eventually winning the u73kg bronze medal

Victor Scvortov of United Arab Emirates (blue) sweeps the feet from under Young Jun Lee of Korea to score an ippon (10 points) and win the u73kg bronze

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Final Newcomer Hong was the aggressor but Nakaya had the better of him when he countered the North Korean’s seoi-nage with ura-nage. Unable to completely twist and hurl Nakaya backwards, Hong ended up falling on his back with Nakaya landing on top of him. Ippon was scored and Nakaya had secured his second world title. Nakaya was now the top player for Japan in the lead up to the Rio Olympics in 2016.

MEDAL ORDER Gold: Riki Nakaya JPN, Silver: Kuk Hyon Hong PRK, Bronzes: Victor Scvortov UAE and Musa Mogushkov RUS

Riki Nakaya of Japan (blue) prepares to grip Kuk Hyon Hong of North Korea eventually defeating him by an ippon from a foot sweep for an ippon (10 points) to win the u73kg final

Riki Nakaya of Japan (blue) throws Kuk Hyon Hong of North Korea with a foot sweep for 10 points to win the u73kg final

Under 73kg medallists L-R: Silver; Kuk Hyon Hong of North Korea, Gold; Riki Nakaya of Japan, Bronzes; Victor Scvortov of UAE and Musa Mogushkov of Russia champion and Japanese Judo President, Haruki Uemura, presented the medals

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Under 73kg gold medallist, Riki Nakaya of Japan

Under 73kg silver medallist, Kuk Hyon Hong of North Korea

Under 73kg bronze medallist, Musa Mogushkov of Russia

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Under 73kg bronze medallist, Victor Scvortov of UAE

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships WOMENS 63KG DAY 4 WOMEN’S

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The defending World Champion was Israel’s Yarden Gerbi, who had won her 2013 Rio world title in spectacular fashion, using an unorthodox strangle on Clarisse Agbegnenou of France that is now considered illegal. Since winning in Rio, Gerbi has not done so well on the IJF world circuit with Clarisse Agbegnenou seeded at number one and Gerbi positioned at number two. Positions that Gerbi could not reverse in the final.

Yarden Gerbi of Israel throws Ana Cachola of Portugal for ippon on her way to the u63kg final

Pool A

France’s top hope Clarisse Agbegnenou had some difficulty in her first match, against Sweden’s Anna Bernholm, and won by just a narrow yuko point while conceding two shidos. Her second match, against Wen Zhang of China, also went to full time but she managed to get two yukos from counters against Zhang’s uchimata attempts. Her fight against Italy’s Edwidge Gwend was the third match to go to time and won by yuko. This time it was through ouchi-gari. Agbegnenou had had some tough preliminary rounds but she was through to the semifinal..

Pool B

Miku Tashiro of Japan (white) holds Jiyun Bak of South Korea for ippon

France’s second player Anne-Laure Bellard threw her first opponent, Spain’s Isabel Puche, three times with sumi-gaeshi. First for yuko, then for waza-ari and finally for ippon. For her second match, against Brazil’s Mariana Silva, she scored with ouchi-gari for yuko then later in the match pinned her opponent for ippon. Against Austria’s Kathrin Unterwurzacher, she scored waza-ari in the opening seconds with a rolling uchimata that was done one-handed. Although Unterwurzacher later struck back with uchimatasukashi, it was only awarded a yuko, so Bellard was through to the semifinal.

Pool C

Israel’s Yarden Gerbi is one of the biggest throwers in her category and she displayed her massive throwing skills in her first bout, against Portugal’s Ana Cachola, first launching her with a hip throw for waza-ari and then a textbook uchimata for ippon. She then smashed Cuba’s Maylin Del Toro Carvajal with a massive hip throw for ippon. In her quarterfinal match, against Slovenia’s Tina Trstenjak, she executed an effortless hip movement that whirled her opponent over for ippon.

Pool D

Japan’s newcomer Miku Tashiro won her first match, against Algeria’s Imene Agouar, through a strangle for ippon. She also relied on groundwork, a pin this time, to defeat her next opponent, South Korea’s Bak Jiyun. Her next match, against top seed Anicka Van Emden of the Netherlands, was a tough one that was scoreless at the end of time. However, in Golden Score, Tashiro pulled off a driving ouchi-gari that scored ippon. For her quarterfinal match, against Germany’s Martyna Trajdos, it was back to groundwork and she pinned the German for yet another ippon. Martyna Trajdos of Germany (white) defeated Hilde Drexler of Austria by 2 shidos (penalties) to reach the u63kg quarter-final

Clarisse Agbegnenou of France (white), who won silver last year, defeated Wen Zhang of China by 2 yukos (5 points) on her way to the u63kg gold medal

Clarisse Agbegnenou of France (white), who won Nae Udaka of Japan (white) scores a decisive silver last year, defeated Wen yuko (5 points) throw against of ZhangAutomne of China Pavia by 2 yukos France in the u57kg semi-final (5 points) on herthat wayled to to thethe gold medal u63kg gold medal

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Semifinal 1

Miku Tashiro of Japan (blue) throws Yarden Gerbi of Israel for a wazari but then lost the u63kg semi-final by an ippon

The first semifinal was an all-French affair. But unlike the non-fight that we saw when Mikhail Pulyaev met Kamal KhanMagomedov in the semifinal of the -66kg division, this one was an all-out brawl. Agbegnenou proved the more dominant, throwing Bellard with ashi-guruma for waza-ari and then pinning her for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon.

Semifinal 2 Those hoping for a Gerbi vs Agbegnenou final were nearly disappointed when Tashiro scored with a very deep uchimata that scored waza-ari, although it could easily have been ippon. Ironically, Gerbi’s lease of life happened during a groundwork exchange, which Tashiro specialized in. Tashiro was trying to turn Gerbi into a hold when she got countered and Gerbi ended up pinning her instead. It would be a Gerbi vs Agbegnenou rematch after all, in the final.

Bronze 1 The first bronze medal was won by Tashiro who stuck to her newaza specialty and pinned Gwend for ippon.

Bronze 2 Trstenjak’s fight with Bellard was a tough one with the only score happening in the last minute when the Slovenian unleased an incisive kouchi-gari that scored waza-ari.

Under 63kg defending champion, Yarden Gerbi of Israel warms up for the competition before the spectators are allowed in

2013 World Champion, Yarden Gerbi of Israel (white) holds Miku Tashiro of Japan for an ippon (10points) to reach the u63kg final A young volunteer with “I Love Fiii” painted on her face

Japanese supporters of Miku Tashiro wave a banner for her

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Final In their previous World Championship final in Rio, Agbegnenou was thrown by her great rival and friend, Gerbi, who then proceeded to strangle her for ippon. This time around, it was Agbegnenou who would be doing the throwing. She started off with low koshi-guruma for yuko. Then, she followed that up with a huge tsurigoshi for ippon. It was sweet revenge for Agbegnenou.

Defending u63kg World Champion, Yarden Gerbi of Israel (blue), prepares to grip Clarisse Agbegnenou of France but was unable to repeat her 2013 victory against Agbegnnenou and was thrown for an ippon (10 points) ending with the silver medal

Clarisse Agbegnenou of France (white) throws Yarden Gerbi of Israel for an ippon (10 points) to win the u63kg gold medal

MEDAL ORDER Gold: Clarisse Agbegnenou FRA, Silver: Yarden Gerbi ISR, Bronzes: Miku Tashiro JPN and Tina Trstenjak SLO

Under 63kg medallists L-R: Silver; Yarden Gerbi of Israel, Gold; Clarisse Agbegnenou of France, Bronzes; Miku Tashiro of Japan and Tina Trstenjak of Slovenia

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Clarisse Agbegnenou of France (white) throws Yarden Gerbi of Israel for an ippon (10 points) to win the u63kg gold medal

2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Under 63kg gold medallist and 2013 silver medallist, Clarisse Agbegnenou of France

Under 63kg silver medallist and previous gold medallist, Yarden Gerbi of Israel

Under 63kg bronze medallist, Tina Trstenjak of Slovenia

Under 63kg bronze medallist, Miku Tashiro of Japan

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MENS 81KG DAY 4 MEN’S

81KG

Georgia’s Avtandil Tchrikishvili was by far the most powerful player in this category. Always upright, ambidextrous and full of throwing power, it was hard to see anyone stopping him from getting the gold. His main adversary, France’s Loic Pietri who beat him in the final of the 2013 Rio World Championships, was seeded at number 2. However, a dark horse would upset Pietri’s ambition to retain his title.

Pool A

The top favourite Avtandili Tchrikishvili won his first round after his opponent, Jaromir Musil of Czeck Republic, got injured early in the match. In his second match, against Belgium’s Joachim Bottieau, a one-handed drop sode at the edge of the mat gave him an early lead of yuko, which he held onto until the end. An illegal leg grab by the talented Carlos Luz of Portugal gave Tchrikishvili an easy win in his third match. Lastly, a lacklustre performance by Japan’s Takanori Nagase allowed Tchrikishvili a win on penalties. Loic Pietri of France (white) defeated Diogo Lima of Portugal on his way to the u81kg (light-middleweight) bronze medal

Loic Pietri of France (white) scores the first of 2 yukos (5 points) with this throw to defeat Ivan Nifontov of Russia to win their u81kg quarter-final

Pool B

Germany’s Sven Maresch was the top seed in this pool but he lost to France’s Alain Schmitt (a bronze medallist in Rio 2013) in the first round, on penalties. A drop morote-seoi-nage gave Schmitt an ippon victory over Argentina’s Emmanuel Lucenti. Next up, he threw Spain’s Adrian Nacimiento Lorenzo twice with drop morote-seoi-nage for yuko each, and then with drop ippon-seoi-nage for yuko before pinning him for ippon. His last opponent was Lebanon’s Nacif Elias, who had previously fought for Brazil in Rio 2013. In the end, Schmitt had to rely on penalties to win. It’s worth noting that Elias progressed further in his pool than Brazilian’s top flight Victor Penalber in this same category.

Pool C

Defending World Champion Loic Pietri threw his first opponent, South Korea’s Lee Seung Su, for waza-ari with a reverse seoi-nage in the opening seconds. Next, he threw Portugal’s Diogo Lima with drop ippon-seoi-nage for waza-ari and then countered him with a sumi-gaeshi for yuko. His third fight, against Robin Pacek of Sweden, went to Golden Score. There, he managed to pull off an impressive standing sode-tsuri-komi-goshi that scored waza-ari. In his fourth fight, he countered Russia’s 2009 World Champion Ivan Nifontov’s sasae for yuko and then threw him with drop ippon-seoi-nage for another yuko. It was a solid performance.

Pool D

Antoine Valois-Fortier of Canada had a difficult first fight, against Uzbekistan’s Shukhratjon Arslanov, which he won on penalties. He then beat Tunisia’s Abdelaziz Ben Ammar with a side takedown for waza-ari. Next, he pinned North Korea’s Pak Hong Wi for ippon. His toughest match was against Brazil’s Victor Penalber who threw him with an uchimata for yuko. But Valois-Fortier came back with a sumigaeshi that scored waza-ari. He was through to the semifinal.

Avantdili Tchrikishvili of Georgia (white), here avoiding an attack, defeated Alain Schmitt of France in 4.38 mins after Schmitt was disqualified

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Ivan Nifontov of Russia (left) defeated Alain Schmit of France to win the u81kg bronze medal

Semifinal 1 About midway through their semifinal match, Schmitt scored a yuko against Tchrikishvili with a drop seoi-nage. Tchrikishvili was unable to score for the rest of the match but the overly defensive Schmitt accumulated four shidos and thus received hansoku-make.

Semifinal 2 The semifinal match between Pietri and ValoisFortier was a largely tactical one that was decided by penalties. At the end of the match, Pietri had one shido and Valois-Fortier had none. It was the Canadian who would be in the final.

Bronze 1 Pietri scored a waza-ari by countering a poor uchimata attack by Nagase and held onto the lead until the end. He had racked up three shidos but that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter. He had won the bronze.

Bronze 2 The Nifontov vs Schmitt fight for bronze was also determined by penalties with Schmitt incurring one shido while Nifontov had none. It was a Russian bronze, and another gift for the enthusiastic Chelyabinsk crowd Russian fans jump to their feet after Ivan Nifontov defeated Alain Schmitt of France for the u81kg bronze medal

Avtandili Tchrikishvili of Georgia (white) narrowly defeated Takanori Nagase of Japan on his way to the u81kg gold medal

Loic Pietri of France (blue), here avoiding an attack, defeated Takanori Nagase of Japan by a wazari (7 points) to gain the u81kg bronze medal

Loic Pietri of France (blue), here avoiding an attack, defeated Takanori Nagase of Japan by awazari (7 points) to gain the u81kg bronze medal

Ivan Nifontov of Russia (white) struggles to escape and eventually narrowly defeated Alain Schmitt of France for the u81kg bronze medal

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Ivan Nifontov of Russian (white) twists out of a strong attack by Alain Schmitt of France and eventually won the u81kg bronze medal

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Final Within the first minute, Tchrikishvili countered Valois-Fortier’s osoto-gari attempt with a big ura-nage that was initially given ippon but was lowered to waza-ari by the video judges. Valois-Fortier had plenty of time to either get a score or cause Tchrikishvili to be passive and incur enough penalties to be disqualified, just as Tchrikishvili had done to Schmitt earlier. But the Canadian didn’t have it within him to do either and so the gold went to Georgia. He had matched the success of his coach Nicolas Gill, a world silver medalist himself. MEDAL ORDER Gold: Avtandili Tchrikishvili GEO, Silver: Antoine Valois-Fortier CAN, Bronzes: Loic Pietri FRA and Ivan Nifontov RUS

Avtandili Tchrikishvili of Georgia rises to his feet with a smile and knowing that he has just won the u81kg gold medal after defeating Antoine Valois-Fortier of Canada

Avtandili Tchrikishvili of Georgia (white) defeated Antoine Valois-Fortier of Canada by an early wazari (7 points) for the u81kg gold medal

Under 81kg medallists L-R: Silver; Antoine Valois-Fortier of Canada, Gold; Avtandili Tchrikishvili of Georgia, Bronzes; Loic Pietri of France and Ivan Nifontov of Russia

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Under 81kg gold medallist, Avtandili Tchrikishvili of Georgia, stands with his hand on his chest

Under 81kg silver medallist, Antoine Valois-Fortier of Canada

Under 81kg bronze medallist and former champion, Loic Pietri of France

Under 81kg medallist, Ivan Nifontov of Russia poses for the camera holding his bronze medal

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships JUDO PARK Beijing Olympic judo champion, Elnur Mammadli of Azerbaijan (right), stands alongsideAzerbaijani coach, Mehman Azizov outside the Traktor Arena

Two keen judo visitors with the mascot

Loic Pietri of France (white) scores the first of 2 yukos (5 points) with this throw to defeat Ivan Nifontov of Russia 002s2/000s1 to win their u81kg quarter-final

Two keen judo visitors with the mascot

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Visitors pose with a volunteer Russian Superman Judo enthusiasts pose outside the Traktor Arena

Commerative medals are made by hand at the popular Judo Park

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships WOMENS 70KG DAY 5 WOMEN’S

70KG

The top favorite in this category was the Netherlands’ big thrower, Kim Polling. In the past two years, she has only been beaten twice, by Japan’s Chizuru Arai and South Korea’s Kim Seong-Yeon and neither one was present at this championships. The number two seed was the inspirational German, Laura Vargas Koch, whose picture was used on the Chelyabinsk illuminated advertising posters. However, neither managed to gain a medal.

Guinoza Matniyazova of Uzbekistan (blue), here twisting out of an attack, defeated Iljana Marzock of Germany by an ippon in their u70kg contest on her way to seventh

Laura Vargas Koch of Germany was seeded second in the world but was eliminated before theu70kg quarter-final

Pool A

Kim Polling of the Netherlands was the top favorite in this pool. However, she had some difficulty with her first opponent, Mongolia’s Narangjargal Tsend Ayush and had to rely on penalties to win. Although she would do better against her next opponent, Tunisia’s Houda Miled, the difficult first fight had a negative impact on her for the rest of the day. Miled was thrown with a hip technique for waza-ari and then held down for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon. It was a good win. But Polling’s next match was again won by a penalty. This is rather unusual for Polling who normally throws her opponents.

Pool B Colombia’s Yuri Alvear doesn’t compete in many IJF world circuit competitions so she is not as well-known as Polling but as a double world champion, she is a force to contend with. Alvear beat her first opponent, Luxembourg’s Lynn Mossong, with her favourite osoto-makikomi for yuko. She a bit of difficulty with her second opponent, Brazil’s Barbara Timo, who scored first, countering Alvear for a yuko. Alvear however managed to get back a score with an osoto-makikomi for wazaari. Against her next opponent, Cuba’s Onix Cortes Aldama, Alvear used uchimata which scored waza-ari. Then she countered what looked like a head-dive uchimata, which gave her waza-ari-awasatte-ippon. The Cuban could have easily been given hansoku-make for the head dive. Pool C

Croatia’s Barbara Matic threw her first opponent, Ecuador’s Vanessa Chala with osoto-makikomi for waza-ari. She then relied on penalties to win her next match, against Austria’s Bernadette Graf. In third match, she managed to pull off a kosoto-gari in the final minute to score a waza-ari. waza-ari- awasete-ippon. It was an impressive ride to the top of her pool.

Pool D

Yuri Alvear of Colombia (blue) comprehensively defeated World number one, Kim Polling of the Netherlands on her way to her third World u70kg gold medal

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Japan’s Karen Nun Ira was given the shock of her life when she got thrown for wazaari by Morocco’s Assmaa Niang. However, she had the presence of mind to quickly clamp on a pin and held her opponent long enough to score yuko before Niang broke loose. Nun Ira quickly secured the pin again, this time holding her for ippon. Nun Ira got another scare when China’s Chao Zhou threw her with a very powerful sode-tsuri-komi-goshi for waza-ari. Nun Ira was composed enough to fight back and scored with an ouchi-gari for waza-ari to even up the scores. Before the match was over, she had scored an ippon with a counter against her opponent’s attempt to do a sode-osoto combination. In her third match, against Canada’s Kelita Zupancic, she pushed her opponent down with a hand technique and scored waza-ari. She then held onto her lead until the end, although in the process she racked up three shidos. It didn’t matter. She was through to the semi-final. spectacular ippon.

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Semifinal 1 On paper, the Polling-Alvear contest would be an evenly fought one as both players are known for their big throws but in their match-up, Alvear was too powerful for Polling. First, she scored with osoto-makikomi for waza-ari. Then another osoto-makikomi, this time for yuko. Then a final throw, soto-makikomi, gave her the ippon.

Katarzyna Klys of Poland (white) defeated Kim Polling of the Netherlands by a wazari with this leg hook to secure the u70kg bronze medal

Semifinal 2 The Matic-Nun Ira match was ended decisively when the Japanese executed a kosoto-gari from behind her opponent to score yuko and then proceeded to armlock her for ippon. Despite her difficulty in the preliminary rounds, Nun Ira had made it through to the final.

The models who carried the medals for the presentations

Katarzyna Klys of Poland (white) defeated Kim Polling of the Netherlands by a wazari with this leg hook to secure the u70kg bronze medal

Defending u70kg champion, Kim Polling of Netherlands (white) defeated Naranjargal Tsend Ayushof Mongolia to eventually reach fifth

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Bronze 1 Cortes Aldama launched Matic with a glorious uchimata that had the crowd gasping. It was was a perfect ippon.

Bronze 2 Polling scored first in the match for bronze, with a slow drop seoi-nage for yuko. But Klys responded with a kouchi-makikomi in the final minute. It scored waza-ari and was enough to win her the match. It was a huge upset. She had defeated the player expected to win the gold.

Final This world championships is one where a lot of players tried ura-nage, which seems to be the hot throw of the moment. When Alvear initiated an ouchi-gari, Nun Ira saw an ura-nage opportunity. But the experienced Colombian quickly switched to kouchi-gari and landed on top of the Japanese. It was a third gold medal for Alvear, who is already a famous athlete in her country, which is not known for judo. MEDAL ORDER Gold: Yuri Alvear COL, Silver: Karen Nun Ira JPN, Bronzes: Onix Cortes Aldama CUB and Kartarzyna POL

Yuri Alvear of of Colombia (white) throws Karen Nun Ira of Japan for an ippon to win her third u70kg World title

Under 70kg medallists L-R: Silver; Karen Nun Ira of Japan, Gold; Yuri Alvear of Columbia, Bronzes; Onix Cortes Aldama of Cuba and Katarzyna Klys of Poland

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Under 70kg three times gold medallist, Yuri Alvear of Columbia

Under 70kg bronze medallist, Onix Cortes Aldama of Cuba

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Under 70kg silver medallist, Karen Nun Ira of Japan

Under 70kg bronze medallist, Katarzyna Klys of Poland

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships WOMENS 78KG DAY 5 WOMEN’S

78KG

With American World and Olympic Champion Kayla Harrison making a comeback, but unseeded, it was going to prove an interesting day. France’s former World champion, Audrey Tcheumeo, who always dances after winning gold, was the top seed while Mayra Aguiar of Brazil was drawn in the number two slot. The other top seeds were Luise Malzahn of Germany and Anamari Velensek of Slovenia and it was Malzahn, of the five, who failed to medal after losing her first match.

Pool A

Audrey Tcheumeo of France (white) throws and then holds Samantha Bleier of the USA for ippon on her way to the u78kg final and the silver medal

France’s Audrey Tcheumeo is the top favorite here and she blew away all opposition on her way to the semifinal. She defeated her first opponent, USA’s Samantha Bleier, with a slick kouchi-kosoto combo for waza-ari. Then an osoto-gari for yuko. Lastly, a pin for waza-ari-awasatteippon. Against Spain’s Mart Tort Merino, she first scored with kouchigari for yuko, then osoto-gari for ippon. With Cuba’s Yalennis Castillo, she used a te-waza counter for yuko. Then she pinned her for ippon. She was clearly on top form.

1980 Olympic champion and judo legend, Robert Van de Walle of Belgium smiles after presenting the u78kg medals

Pool B

Mongolia’s Munkhbat won her first match against Ukraine’s Maryna Krot with a standard sankakugatame for ippon. Her second match, against Colombia’s Eblin Lucumi, was also won with a variation of thesangaku gatame that had her tying up Lucumi’s arm and ending up with Munkhbat faced down on the mat. She won her third match, against Cuba’s Maria Celia Laborde, again with a technique that started out with a sankaku entry but ended up with a clever forward roll into a hold down. She had managed to get to the top of Pool B with three different variations of sankaku. Yahima Ramirez of Portugal (blue) throws Yalennis Castillo of Cuba for the contest winning yuko (5 points) in the u78kg repercharge where Ramirez finished fifth

Pool C

Comebacks are inherently difficult and it showed in USA’s Kayla Harrison’s first match, where she scrapped by with a penalty win against Canada’s Catherine Roberge. She did better in her second match, countering Taiwan’s Szu-Chu Wang for yuko and then in groundwork, used a sankaku to pin her for ippon. Her most impressive performance was in her third match, against Slovenia’s Ana Velensek, whom she threw with a standing ippon-seoi-nage for waza-ari and then pinned her for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon.

Pool D

Under 78kg bronze medallist and 2012 Olympic Champion, Kayla Harrison of the USA poses with her coaches, Jimmy Pedro Jnr (left) and Jimmy Pedro Snr

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Brazil’s Mayra Aguiar was on top form. In her first match, she executed a very low tai-otoshi to score waza-ari against Italy’s Assunta Galeone, and then she pulled off a well-timed uchimata-sukashi for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon. In her second match, she threw Spain’s Laia Talarn with kosoto-gari twice, once for waza-ari and once for yuko. Then, against Russia’s Alena Kachorovskaya, she threw with an impressive kosoto- gake for ippon. match, countering Taiwan’s Szu-Chu Wang for yuko and then in groundwork, used a sankaku to pin her for ippon. Her most impressive performance was in her third match, against Slovenia’s Ana Velensek, whom she threw with a standing ippon- seoi-nage for wazaari and then pinned her for waza- ari-awasatte-ippon.

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Olympic and World champion, Kayla Harrison of the USA (blue) defeated Yahima Ramirez of Portugal by shido to win the u78kg bronze medal

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Semifinal 1 Last year’s world champion Sol was no match against the determined Tcheumeo, who smashed her with harai-goshi for ippon. It was a disappointing performance by last year’s gold medalist but a fantastic one by the French player.

Semifinal 2 The 2012 Olympic Champion Harrison was also no match against Aguiar, whose low tai-otoshi caught her for yuko. A desperate ouchi-gari by Harrison got countered for waza-ari and there was no way for the American to catch up after that.

Bronze 1 Harrison defeated Ramirez through a shido penalty, which was enough to win in their scoreless match. Harrison had won the bronze but she was crying on her way off the mat. Clearly nothing but gold was good enough for her.

Bronze 2

Olympic and World champion, Kayla Harrison of the USA (blue), here attacking, defeated Yahima Ramirez of Portugal by shido to win the u78kg bronze medal

Velensek defeated a lacklustre Sol with a kosoto-gari for yuko. The North Korean was a shadow of her former self.

Watched closely by the TV camera, Jimmy Pedro, comforts Olympic and World champion, KaylaHarrison of the USA as she wept after defeating Yahima Ramirez of Portugal by a shido to win the u78kg bronze medal

Anamari Velensek of Slovenia (white) is ecstatic after beating Kyong Sol of North Korea by a yuko (5 points) and winning the u78kg bronze medal

Anamari Velensek of Slovenia (white) defeated Kyong Sol of North Korea with this yuko (5 points) score to win the u78kg bronze medal

Olympic and World champion, Kayla Harrison of the USA (blue) weeps after defeating Yahima Ramirez of Portugal by a shido to win the u78kg bronze medal

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Final It was a battle of the titans but Aguiar won out with her trademark, low tai-otoshi done from a high grip, which scored waza-ari. That lead was enough to clinch her the match and the gold medal. Brazil, normally a powerhouse in judo, finally had something to cheer for in Chelyabinsk.

MEDAL ORDER Gold: Mayra Aguiar BRA, Silver: Audrey Tcheumeo FRA, Bronzes: Kayla Harrison USA and Anamari Velensek SLO Mayra Aguiar of Brazil (blue) defeated Audrey Tcheumeo of France by a wazari (7 points) to win the u78kg gold medal

Under 78kg medallists L-R: Silver; Audrey Tcheumeo of France, Gold; Mayra Aguiar of Brazil, Bronzes; Kayla Harrison of the USA and Anamari Velensek of Slovenia

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Under 78kg gold medallist, Mayra Aguiar of Brazil has trouble controlling her emotions

Under 78kg bronze medallist, Anamari Velensek of Slovenia

Under 78kg silver medallist and former World Champion, Audrey Tcheumeo of France

Under 78kg bronze medallist and London Olympic champion, Kayla Harrison of the USA stands respectfully to the Brazillian anthem

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MENS 90KG DAY 6 MEN’S

90KG

The -90kg division is arguably the most exciting weight class to watch because it is full of top players. The lead contender this year was Varlam Liparteliani, who was also No. 1 in the IJF world ranking. The right-handed Liparteliani likes to throw with uchimata, which he sometimes does as a makikomi. He also has a right-sided side takedown that’s very slick. A very upright and confident player who, unfortunately for him, was out matched in the quarter-final.

Pool A

Every world championships has unexpected stars and Hungary’s Krisztian Toth proved to be the one in the -90kg category, stunning the crowd with his powerful and dynamic throws. Although he was a Junior European and European U23 Champion, he was still largely unknown in world judo. Toth began his campaign with a moroteseoi-nage against Ivory Coast’s Kinapeya Romeo Kone which scored ippon. He did the very same throw against Serbia’s Aleksandar Kukolj and got an ippon there too. His next fight couldn’t be any tougher. It was against the top favorite, Georgia’s Varlam Liparteliani. Their’s was a hard fought match with no scores but in the end Toth had one penalty to Liparteliani’s two. Toth has scored a major upset against the player most expected to win the gold.

Pool B

Kirill Voprosov is not the top Russian in this category. That would be his teammate Kirill Denisov. But he certainly showed some impressive judo. Voprosov was careless in his first match and got caught by Kazakhstan’s Samat Yessen with drop seoi-nage for yuko. He responded with an excellent osoto-kosoto combination which scored only yuko but he quickly transitioned into an armlock for ippon. His next opponent is the very tough Georgian Beka Gviniashvili but Denisov made short work of him, countering him with a well-time kosoto-gari for ippon. After that, he beat Switzerland’s Ciril Grossklaus with a very acrobatic uchimata which scored yuko. His fourth opponent, Ukraine’s Quedjau Nhabali proved to be very tough, and scored first with ouchi-gari for yuko. Voprosov ended the match with a kosoto-gari counter for ippon.

Pool C

Uzbekistan’s Sherali Juraev is another relative unknown who shone at the competition. He beat his first opponent, South Korea’s Kim Jae Yun, with a slick kosoto-gari for ippon. Next, he threw Turkmenistan’s Nuraly Yalkapov twice with uchimata for waza-ari and yuko, and then pinned him for ippon. Against the tough Serbian Dmitri Gerasimenko, he had to rely on a penalty win. This pit him up against the top favorite Kirill Denisov, whom he dispatched with surprising ease though an uchimata sukashi for ippon.

Pool D Former World champion, Guillaume Elmont of the Netherlands twists out of an attack by Hatem Abd El Akher of Egypt eventually winning the u90kg contest by a wazari

Olympic Champion and Double World Champion Ilias Iliadis of Greece did not disappoint his legion of fans with his performance in the preliminary rounds. He threw his first opponent with an unusually low, rolling uchimata for yuko. Then he threw with sode for another yuko. Lastly, another low, rolling uchimata, for ippon. It was a good start. His next opponent was Portugal’s Celio Dias who had surprised everybody by throwing Japan’s new talent, Mashu Baker (or Masyu Beiker as the Japanese prefer to call him) for ippon earlier. Iliadis finished Dias off with a massive hip throw for ippon. Iliadis had a harder time throwing former world champion Guillaume Elmont of the Netherlands. However the defensive Dutch player eventually incurred four shidos and thus hansoku-make.

Kirill Voprosov of Russia throws Ciril Grossklaus of Switzerland for the winning yuko (5 points) on his way to the u90kg bronze medal

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Krisztian Toth of Hungary (blue) defeated Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia by 2 shido penalties

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Semi-Final 1 The Toth-Voprosov semifinal match was a highly tense one as both players had the potential to execute huge throws. The exciting match, which was full of exciting near-throws, went to Golden Score. Toth wasted no time and launched Voprosov with an ura-nage-hip throw combination popularized by Japan’s Naohisa Takato. Although it scored only a yuko, it was an impressive throw with lots of air time, which the crowd appreciated although the home player had just been defeated.

Semi-Final 2 Iliadis did not have an easy time with Juraev, who was having the day of his life. But in the end, Iliadis’ experience shone through and he managed to win with a hip throw for yuko.

Krisztian Toth of Hungary (w) attempts to throw Kirill Voprosov of Russia in their u90kg semi-final. Eventually Toth won after extra time and reached the final

Mashu Baker of Japan (blue) holds Vadym Synyavsky of Ukraine for ippon to win their u90kg eliminations contest

2013 World champion, Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia (white) had to be content with the u90kg bronze this year after defeating Sherali Juraev of Uzbekistan

Sherali Juraev of Uzbekistan (blue) throws European champion and World silver medallist, Kirill Denisov of Russia for ippon to win their u90kg quarter-final

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Olympic champion and twice World champion, Ilias Iliadis of Greece throws Krisztian Toth of Hungary for ippon to win his third World title

Bronze 1 A despondent-looking Liparteliani smashed Juraev with his trademark hip-throw uchimata for ippon. Although he had won a bronze, Liparteliani left the mat in tears. He was supposed to get the gold.

Bronze 2 There would be no all-Russian bronze medal match as Denisov failed to appear on the mat, apparently due to injury. That meant Voprosov got the bronze.

Final Iliadis would not be denied a third world title and threw the Hungarian upstart, Toth, with a massive soto-makikomi for ippon. Together with Masashi Ebinuma of Japan and Yuri Alvear of Colombia, he had entered the pantheon of judo players with triple gold.

Medal Order Gold: Ilias Iliadis GRE, Silver: Krisztian Toth HUN, Bronzes: Varlam Liparteliani GEO and Kirili Voprosov RUS

Olympic champion and twice World champion, Ilias Iliadis of Greece throws Krisztian Toth of Hungary for ippon to win his third World title

Olympic champion and twice World champion, Ilias Iliadis of Greece, defeated Krisztian Toth of Hungary by an ippon to claim his third World title

Olympic champion and twice World champion, Ilias Iliadis of Greece ‘takes off’ after throwing Krisztian Toth of Hungary for an ippon to win his third World title

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Under 90kg medallists L-R: Silver; Krisztian Toth of Hungary, Gold; Ilias Iliadis of Greece, Bronzes; Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia and Kirill Voprosov of Russia

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Gold medallist and 2004 Olympic champion, Ilias Iliadis of Greece

Bronze medallist and former silver medallist, Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia

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Silver medallist, Krisztian Toth of Hungary

Bronze medallist, Kirill Voprosov of Russia

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships WOMENS +78KG DAY 6 WOMEN’S

+78KG

With Cuba’s Olympic champion, Idalyis Ortiz ranked first and there to defend her 2013 Rio gold medal it did not look good for those who aspired to take her place at the top. Japan’s Megumi Tachimoto was positioned as the third seed while Maria Suelen Altheman of Brazil, dreaming of Rio 2016 glory, was in the second slot and Kanae Yamabe of Japan in fourth position. Of the four it was Yamabe who failed to medal while Ortiz spent just seven minutes defending her title and disposing of all her opponents by ippon

Kanae Yamabe of Japan (white) defeated Man Gao of China by a single shido (penalty) to win their o78kg contest

Pool A

Cuba’s World and Olympic Champion Idalys Ortiz showed no signs of slowing down as she demolished both her opponents in the preliminary rounds. First, she threw Turkey’s Gulsah Kocaturk with drop sode-tsuri-komi-goshi for waza-ari and then pinned her for ippon. In her next match, she threw Germany’s Jasmin Kuelbs with drop seoi-nage for ippon.

Pool B

France’s Emilie Andeol was less impressive. She defeated Lithuania’s Santa Pakenyte through penalties. Then against Japan’s Kanae Yamabe she scored yuko with ouchi-gari and held on to that lead until the end, incurring three shidos in the process.

Pool C

Brazil’s Maria Suelen Altheman was looking good, throwing Bosnia’s Larisa Ceric with osoto-gari for ippon. Against Germany’s Franziska Konitz, she executed a drop sode-tsuri-komi-goshi for yuko. Then a soto-makikomi for waza-ari. And lastly, a pin for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon.

Jasmin Kuelbs of Germany defeated Sonia Asselah of Algeria

Pool D

Japan’s Megumi Tachimoto defeated her first opponent, Mexico’s Vanessa Zambotti, through groundwork, strangling her for ippon. Against her second opponent Nihel Cheikh Rouhou, she had to rely on penalties for a win. It wasn’t a particularly impressive performance.

Semifinal 1

The first semifinal was a scoreless match that went into Golden Score, where Ortiz took advantage of a poor attack by Andeol to strangle her into submission.

Semifinal 2

The Altheman-Tachimoto match was scoreless too but in the end, the Brazilian won through penalties. Emilie Andeol of France (blue) defeated Franziska Konitz, here attacking, by a wazari to win the o78kg bronze medal

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London Olympic champions and gold medallists at Chelyabinsk, Idalys Ortiz of Cuba and Teddy Riner of France received the Best Female and Male Judoka awards

Bronze 1 Tachimoto threw Kuelbs with an effective harai-makikomi on the edge for ippon. The crowd roared its appreciation.

Bronze 2 Andeol denied Germany a bronze medal when she threw Konitz with an ouchi-gari for waza-ari.

Megumi Tachimoto of Japan won the o78kg bronze medal

Tachimoto of Japan (blue) defeated Kuelbs of Germany by an ippon to win the o78kg bronze medal

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Emilie Andeol of France (blue) defeated Franziska Konitz of Germany, here attacking, by a wazari to win the o78kg bronze medal

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Olympic gold medallist, Idalys Ortiz of Cuba (white) throws Maria Suelen Altheman of Brazil for ippon (10 points) to win the o78kg gold medal

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Final Ortiz won the match in style with a massive ura-nage that had Altheman airborne. It was a fitting way to win the heavyweight gold medal.

MEDAL ORDER Gold: Idalys Ortiz CUB, Silver: Maria Suelen Altheman BRA, Bronzes: Megumi Tachimoto JPN and Emilie Andeol FRA

Over 78kg medallists L-R: Silver; Marie Suelen Altheman of Brazil, Gold; Idalys Ortiz of Cuba, Bronzes; Megumi Tachimoto of Japan and Emilie Andeol of France

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Olympic gold medallist and now o78kg gold medallist, Idalys Ortiz of Cuba

Bronze medallist, Megumi Tachimoto of Japan

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Silver medallist, Marie Suelen Altheman of Brazil

Bronze medallist, Emilie Andeol of France

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MENS -100KG DAY 6 MEN’S

-100KG

The player in this category at the top of the rankings is the Czech Republic’s Lukas Krpalek, and fittingly so. Krpalek is very good at newaza and has a particularly effective armlock. As the reigning European champion, Krpalek (23) was a young player on the cusp of major global success and Chelyabinsk would be his moment of glory.

Pool A

Czech Republic’s Lukas Krpalek was on fire, throwing Brazil’s former World Champion Luciano Correa with sumi-gaeshi for waza-ari then ura-nage for ippon. Next, a desperate sumi-gaeshi attempt by Ukraine’s Artem Bloshenko allowed Krpalek to pin him for ippon. After that, he threw Sweden’s Martin Pacek with a convincing uchimata for ippon.

Pool B

Dimitri Peters of Germany (white) defeated Kyeongtae Kim of of South Korea by an ippon to win their u100kg contest

Russia’s highly-talented Tagir Khaibulaev was yet another former World and Olympic champion making a comeback (the other two were Japan’s Kaori Matsumoto and USA’s Kayla Harrison). And like the others, he didn’t look to be his best. His first fight, against Germany’s very strong Dmitri Peters, was won on penalties. He then managed to throw Uzbekistan’s Soyib Kurbonov with a drop seoi-nage for waza-ari. His only ippon of the day would happen in his third fight, through a hip throw against the Netherlands’ Henk Grol, who also didn’t look at his best.

Pool C

Cuba’s Jose Armenteros is a former World Junior Champion and Pan American Champion, but at the senior world stage, he was a relative unknown not expected to shine. The Cuban threw his first opponent, Latvia’s Jevgenijs Borodavko, with a cross grip morote-seoi-nage for ippon. His second match, against Azerbaijan’s defending World Champion Elkhan Mammadov, ended prematurely when Mammadov was injured during an ouchi-gari attack. In too much pain to continue, Mammadov had to forfeit the match. Next up, a sode-tsuri-komi-goshi gave him an ippon win against Germany’s other strong player, Karl-Richard Frey.

Pool C

Dimitri Peters of Germany (white), here being thrown for a wazari, defeated Kyeongtae Kim of of South Korea by an ippon to win their u100kg contest

iUnited Arab Emirates have some strong imported players and Ivan Remarenco is one of them. He threw the up-and-coming Canadian Kyle Reyes with an uchimata feint into kouchi-gari that scored ippon. Then he countered Mongolia’s former Olympic Champion Tuvshinbayar Naidan for ippon. His fight against France’s Cyrille Maret was an exciting one with the Frenchman scoring first, with an osoto-makikomi for yuko. Remarenco responded with the same technique, but for ippon.

Semifinal 1

Ivan Remarenco of UAE throws Cyrille Maret of France for ippon

The match between Krpalek and Khaibulaev had no scores and was decided by a shido. It wasn’t the exciting match the fans had hoped to see.

Semifinal 2 Karl-Richard Frey of Germany (white) defeated Flavio Orlik of Switzerland by a yuko to reach the quarter-final.

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The other semifinal match, however, was a crowd pleaser. Armenteros launched Remarenco with a morote-seoi-nage for ippon within the first minute of their contest.

Karl-Richard Frey of Germany (white), here weeping with emotion, defeated London Olympic champion, Tagir Khaibulaev of Russia by a yuko to win the u100kg bronze medal

DAY 6 MEN’S

-100KG Bronze 1 In the first bronze medal match, a poor attack that went to the ground gave Remarenco the opportunity to strangle Pacek for ippon.

Bronze 2 Khaibulaev was clearly not in his best shape. A weak seoi-nage attempt was countered by Frey for a yuko score, and it was enough to win the German the match, the first German medal in this tournament.

Karl-Richard Frey of Germany (white) defeated London Olympic champion, Tagir Khaibulaev of Russia by a yuko to win the u100kg bronze medal

Karl-Richard Frey of Germany (white), here defending, defeated London Olympic champion, Tagir Khaibulaev of Russia by a yuko to win the u100kg bronze medal

Karl-Richard Frey of Germany (white) defeated Cyrille Maret of France in their u100kg repercharge final and eventually won the bronze medal.

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Lukas Krpalek of the Czech Republic celebrates winning the u100kg final after holding Jose Armenteros of Cuba for an ippon (10 points)

Final Although Krpalek is a capable thrower, his greatest strength is on the ground and in the final, a failed seoi-nage attempt by Armenteros gave him the opportunity he was looking for. A pin gave him the victory. Krpalek gave Czech Republic its first ever World title. Although he had won two World Junior titles before, but this is the one that counts. MEDAL ORDER Gold: Lukas Krpalek CZE, Silver: Jose Armenteros CUB Bronzes: Ivan Remarenco UAE and Karl-Richard Frey GER Lukas Krpalek of the Czech Republic (white) trys to armlock Jose Armenteros of Cuba before holding him for an ippon (10 points) to win the u100kg title

Under 100kg medallists L-R: Silver; Jose Armenteros of Cuba, Gold; Lukas Krpalek CZE of the Czech Republic, Bronzes; Ivan Remarenco of the United Arab Emirates and Karl-Richard Frey of Germany

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

European champion and under 100kg gold medallist, Lukas Krpalek of the Czech Republic waves to his fans

Under 100kg bronze medallist, Ivan Remarenco of the United Arab Emirates

Under 100kg silver medallist, Jose Armenteros of Cuba

Under 100kg bronze medallist, Karl-Richard Frey of Germany

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MENS +100KG DAY 6 MEN’S

+100KG

There is no top favorite to match six-time World Champion Teddy Riner and it didn’t look as though anybody could stop him from taking his seventh world title. However, Riner was not the top seed. That honour went to Brazil’s Rafael Silva. and the reason was due to Riner not competing regularly in the IJF World Circuit, just in the really major ones. Silva was seeded at number 1 while Riner’s position at number 4 meant they were likely to meet before the final.

Pool A

Rafael Silva was Brazil’s best hope to stop the juggernaut that is Teddy Riner. But he was not particularly impressive in the preliminary rounds. The Brazilian won his first match, against Germany’s Andre Breitbarth, through penalties. Then he beat Egypt’s Islam El Shehaby also by penalties. Against Lithuania’s athletic Marius Paskevicius, he conceded a yuko before throwing with a harai-goshi for waza-ari.

Pool B

France’s Riner is a six-time World Champion and the star of the show. He gave the audience, and France, what they wanted. First, a big osoto-gari ippon against Israel’s Sasson. Then, an uchimata ippon against Czech Republic’s Michal Horak. Lastly, against the home favorite, Renat Saidov, he used a sumi-gaeshi for waza-ari and then pinned him for waza-ari-awasatte-ippon.

Pool C

Japan’s Ryu Shichinohe is relatively small-sized for a heavyweight but he managed to defeat many big players on the way to the semifinal. First it was Cuba’s 2009 World Silver Medalist Oscar Brayson whom he threw with a sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi for waza-ari. Then he countered a pick-up attempt by Poland’s Maciej Sarnacki for ippon. Against Kyrgystan’s Iurri Krakovetskii, he first threw him for yuko and then armlocked him for ippon.

Pool D

Brazil’s second player in the category, David Moura, is like Shichinohe, a relatively smaller player. But he also exhibited good skills at fighting bigger opponents. Against Ukraine’s Stanislav Bondarenko, he threw with uchimata for ippon. Mongolia’s Temuulen Battulga pulled off an uchimata sukashi that scored waza-ari against Moura but the Brazilian had the presence of mind to engage immediately in groundwork. That ended up with a pin for ippon. Moura had difficulty with the Netherlands’ Roy Meyer who was also not a very big player and thus was more mobile. In the end, Moura won on penalties. first threw him for yuko and then armlocked him for ippon.

Current World and Olympic champion, Teddy Riner of France (white) throws Michal Horak of the Czech Republic for ippon (10 points) in his second o100kg contest during

Oscar Brayson of Cuba (blue) throws Pedro Pineda of Venezuela for a wazari but lost his next o100kg (heavyweight) contest

Teddy Riner of France throws Or Sasson of Israel for ippon

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Rafael Silva of Brazil (blue) defeated Roy Meyer of the Netherlands by a shido penalty to win the o100kg contest and the bronze medal

DAY 6 MEN’S

+100KG Semifinal 1 The first semifinal was over very fast as Riner took advantage of a poor attack by Silva to strangle him for ippon. Silva was consistently No. 1 in the IJF rankings because Riner doesn’t compete in many IJF circuit events. But in all their fights, Riner always wins.

Semifinal 2 In the battle between two smaller heavyweights, Moura scored first with a drop seoi-nage for waza-ari. Shichinohe hit back with an ouchi-gari for waza-ari. The big throw happened when Moura tried a kosoto-gari which Shichinohe countered for ippon.

Renat Saidov of Russia (white) defeated David Moura of Brazil by an ippon from a hold to win the o100kg contest and the bronze medal

Bronze 1 The much larger Saidov easily quashed Moura’s drop seoi-nage attempt and pinned him for ippon. It was the eighth medal for the host nation.

Bronze 2 The much larger Silva made Meyer look passive and in the end, he won the match by penalties. It was not a particularly satisfying performance.

Renat Saidov of Russia (white) defeated David Moura of Brazil by an ippon from a hold to win the o100kg contest and the bronze medal

Rafael Silva of Brazil (blue) defeated Roy Meyer of the Netherlands, here attacking, by a shido penalty to win the o100kg contest and the bronze medal

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Teddy Riner of France (white) defeated Ryu Shichinohe of Japan by 3 shidos to win the over 100kg gold medal

Final Riner played a cautious game, preferring to pull Shichinohe’s head down rather than go for big attacks. His tactics worked and soon Shichinohe had collected three shidos. With less than a minute left, the Japanese attacked with an ouchigari that took Riner down. Although it looked like it could have been a yuko, the referee determined that he had sufficiently spun out of the throw to warrant no score. And with that, Riner won his seventh world title. The Frenchman is the sensation of world judo. MEDAL ORDER Gold: Teddy Riner FRA, Silver: Ryu Shichinohe JPN, Bronzes: Remat Saidov RUS and Rafael Silva BRA Teddy Riner of France (white) defeated Ryu Shichinohe of Japan by 3 shidos to win the over 100kg gold medal

Over 100kg medallists L-R: Silver; Ryu Shichinohe of Japan, Gold; Teddy Riner of France, Bronzes; Renat Saidov of Russia and Rafael Silva of Brazil

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

Over 100kg gold medallist, Teddy Riner of France uses his fingers to say that today he won his seventh World gold medal

Over 100kg silver medallist, Ryu Shichinohe of Japan shows his o100kg silver during the Chelyabinsk Judo World Championships

Over 100kg bronze medallist, Renat Saidov of Russia

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Over 100kg bronze medallist, Rafael Silva of Cuba

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships STATISTICS

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Craig Fallon throwing with kata-guruma during the 2005 Cairo World Championships where he won the u60kg gold medal

1981 World champion Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki supervises a class at the International Budo University in Japan

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The legendary Anton Geesink (centre) with Klaus Glahn (left) and Ulrich Klocke in Maribor in 2002.

Robert Van de Walle of Belgium at the 1981 Maastricht Worlds where he won the u95kg silver and Open bronze

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Teddy Riner of France after winning the 2011 Paris World Championships

World champion Nobuyuki Sato of Japan at the 1973 Lausanne Worlds

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Kaori Yamaguchi of Japan wins the u52kg gold at the 1984 Vienna Worlds Championships

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Udo Quellmalz GER is ecstatic after defeating the favourite, Yukimasa Nakamura JPN in the final

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Three times Olympic champion Tadahiro Nomura of Japan after winning the 2008 Hamburg Otto World up gold medal.

Gold medallist Jessica Gal of Holland at the 1994 Gdansk European Championships

Neil Adams, here armlocking Jiro Kase of Japan for the 1981 World title, was the first non-Japanese to win the u78kg gold medal

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Sydney Olympic champion, Isabel Fernandez of Spain after winning the 2009 Paris Tournament bronze medal

Olympic champion, Lucie Decosse of France after winning the 2009 Paris Tournament

Olympic champion and World silver medallist, Maki Tsukada of Japan practicing a strangle at London’s Budokwai

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Georgii Zantaraia of the Ukraine after winning the 2009 Paris Tournament

Olympic champion, Kosei Inoue with a picture of his late mother at the 2000 Sydney Games

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Three times World champion, Alexander Mikhailin of Russia after winning the 2008 Paris Tournament silver medal

Olympic champion at the age of 17 and 3 times World champion, Ilias Iliadis of Greece at the Athens Olympics

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The first USA World gold medallist AnnMaria Burns at the 1984 Vienna championships after winning the gold medal

1986 Essen World gold medallist Ann Hughes of Great Britain

Sun Hui Kye of North Korea celebrates defeating Ryoka Tamura to win the 1996 Atlanta Olympic title before winning 4 world titles

2003 Osaka World champion Amarilis Savon of Cuba

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The 2002 Basel team championships and Women’s trophy.

Sharon Rendle of Great Britain won 2 world titles and the 1988 Olympic gold medal

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1979 World champion Thierry Rey of France at the 1981 Debrecen Europeans where he won the silver medal

1987 World champion Michael Swain of the USA

1981 World champion, Neil Adams MBE at a book photo session in London

Shojo Fujii of Japan at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

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Karen Briggs of Great Britain throwing during the Barcelona 1992 Olympics

1985 World champion and double Olympic champion, Peter Seisenbacher of Austria, with his coach George Kerr at a book photo session in London.

1991 World champion, Hirotaka Okada of Japan,teaching at London’s Budokwai

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Aurelio Miguel of Brazil celebrates his 1988 Olympic gold medal.

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Tengiz Khouboulouri of Russia at the 1980 Moscow Olympics

Yasuhiro Yamashita and and his wife Michida at the London 1986 Sports Writers Dinner as a guest of The Budokwai

Double Olympic and three times World champion, David Douillet of France at the 1996 Atlanta press conference

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Jane Bridge of Great Britain won the 1980 New York World title

Ryoko Tamura (Tani) won 2 Olympic titles and 7 World titles when the World championships were every 2 years

Loretta Doyle of Great Britain winning the 1982 Paris World title

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Four times world champion and Olympic champion, Wen Tong of China

Double Olympic champion and World Champion Wilhelm Ruska at the 1984 British Open Championships in London

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1982 Paris World Champion Barbara Classen of Germany

1984 Vienna World champion Brigette Deydier of France

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1986 Essen World champion Diane Bell of Great Britain who dislocated her thumb on the way to the gold medal

1989 World champion Ingrid Berghmans of Belgium at the 1988 Pamplona Europeans where she won the gold medal

1987 Essen Open weight World champion Fenglan Gao of China

1993 World champion Gella Vandecavaye of Belgium wearing her u63kg gold medal at the 1999 Bratislava Europeans

2005 World champion, Edith Bosch of Holland is delighted with her 2011 Istanbul European gold medal

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships WOMENS TEAMS DAY 7 WOMENS

TEAMS

With sixteen women’s teams competing it was difficult to predict who would be in the final. The home country, Russia, was relegated to the repercharge by Poland with a 3-2 win while France faced Japan in the semi-final and Poland was lined up against Mongolia in the other semi-final. France then defeated Japan 3-2 as Margaux PINOT (FRA) conquered TACHIMOTO Haruka (JPN) in the third contest to send her team through. In the second semi-final Mongolia shaded an impressive Poland team as TSEND-AYUSH Naranjargal (MGL) defeated Katarzyna KLYS (POL) to put her team 3-1 ahead before they added an extra win in the heavyweight contest.

Laura Vargas Koch of Germany warms-up for her women’s team match against Japan

The first team bronze medals were won by Germany who looked to Ulaanbaatar Grand Prix runner-up Luise MALZAHN (GER) for inspiration and she held her nerve in the decider against Daria POGORZELEC (POL) who had two shido penalties while her opponent pitched an unblemished record. The second team bronze medals went to JAPAN who lost their 2013 title but salvaged the final place on the women’s podium with a win against RUSSIA. Like so many matches before and after this engrossing battle, the winner was decided in the final contest as YAMABE Kanae (JPN) defeated -70kg judoka Irina GAZIEVA (RUS) was only selected for the team event. YAMABE scored with a osoto-otoshi for waza-ari and earned the same score with a ouchi-gari to send her team onto the podium. The Japanese team said: “Obviously we came here for the gold so we are disappointed that we only could get the bronze. We had really tough fights today, but despite that, were able to concentrate again and even after having lost the two first fights of the bronze medal match, we managed to win the medal and for that we are happy.”

Ilijana Marzok of Germany (white) holds Souad Belakhal of Algeria for ippon (10 points) helpingher team to win 5-0

The German women’s team prepares for their second round match against Japan

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The German women’s team of (L-R) Romy Tarangul, Miryam Roper, Martyna Trajdos, Laura Vargas Koch and Luiz Malzahn march onto the mat for the bronze medal match against Poland which they won convincingly

Martyna Trajdos of Germany (blue) taps frantically to submit as Miku Tashiro of Japan applies astrangle to win their team contest by an ippon (10 points)

Automne Pavia of France (blue) defeated Nae Udaka of Japan enabling France to reach the final and the Women’s gold medal

Miryam Roper of Germany (white) sweeps the leg of Arleta Podolak of Poland from under her to score a wazari helping her team win the Women’s bronze medal

Final

At -52kg, it was Mongolia’s Mundmaa Munkhbaatar vs France’s Priscilla Gneto. A small yuko score from a sode-tsuri-komi-goshi attack gave France the victory. At -57kg, Mongolia’s Sumiya Dorjsuren did well defeating France’s Automne Pavia with a drop seoi-nage for yuko. Mongolia and France were now even at 1-1. At -63kg, French World Champion Clarisse Agbegnenou soundly defeated her Mongolian opponent Mungunchimeg Baldorj by throwing her twice with soto-makikomi, once for yuko and once for waza-ari. At -70kg, it was a tough battle between Mongolia’s Naranjargal Tsend Ayush and France’s Margaux Pinot. In the end, the Mongolian won through a shido penalty. Mongolia and France were now even at 2-2. The +70kg division would determine the winner. France’s Audrey Tcheumeo did not let her country down as she smashed Mongolia’s Munkhtuya Battulga with a tai-otoshi for ippon. France had won the Women’s Team gold medal again. The last time they had won it was in 2011 in Paris.

Audrey Tcheumeo of France (white) smiles mischievously after securing the team title for France with a team score of 3/2 against Mongolia

Clarisse Agbegnenou of France holds Mungunchimeg Baldorj of Mongolia for ippon (10 points) helping the French team to win the women’s gold medal

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The French women’s gold medal winning team

The Mongolian silver medal winning women’s team

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The bronze medal winning women’s teams of Germany (left) and Japan

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The gold medal winning Japanese men’s team and bronze medal women’s team that reversed 2013’s positions

DAY 7 WOMEN’S

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Medal Order

Gold: France, Silver: Mongolia, Bronzes: Germany and Japan

The German Women’s bronze medal winning team L-R: Mareen Kraeh, Martyna Trajdos; Romy Tarangul; Jasmin Kuelbs (back), Laura Vargas Koch, Miryam Roper, Ilijana Marzock, Franziska Konitz and Luise Malzahn

The victorius French women’s team celebrate winning the gold medal

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TEAMS

Eliminations and Repercharge

Unusually, the men’s team eliminations started with 14 places unlike the 16 women’s teams on the same day and the 16 men’s teams at Rio last year. It meant that the home team of Russia had a slight advantage with a bye in round one. Kazakstan also had a bye but, unlike Russia who progressed to the final, lost their first match putting them in the repercharge where they defeated China 4-1 and were then lined up against Germany for the bronze.

Semi Final

In the semi-final Japan defeated reigning champions Georgia 4-1 while at the same stage Russia thumped Germany 4-1. Germany bounced back in devastating fashion in the repechage as they humbled Kazakhstan 5-0 to end their tournament on a high. The same could not be said for Brazilian men who, having won only won individual medal, ran out of steam in the second bronze medal match against Georgia who won the fifth and final contest to steal a 3-2 victory. Olympic and seven-time world champion Teddy RINER suffered a first round defeat as France lost 3-2 Brazil on the opening round. RINER did his part by defeating David MOURA (BRA) with a tate-shiho-gatame pin but that only restored some pride as his team lost out 3-2. Sportsmanship in Judo; Teddy Riner of France (white) held David Moura of Brazil for ippon but then helped him to his feet even though France lost 4-1

Final

At - 66Kg it was Masashi Ebinuma for Japan vs Kamal Khan-Magomedov for Russia. The Russian attacked first, with a gutsy frontal ura-nage attack that left Ebinuma’s left arm injured. Shortly after that he launched Ebinuma with a massive hip throw for ippon. It was a major upset. At -73kg it was Shohei Ono for Japan vs Dennis Iartchev for Russia. Ono scored first, with his trademark uchimata for waza-ari. But Iartchev struck back with an osoto-gari counter that scored yuko. Before time was up, he was able to score a waza-ari with osoto-makikomi. It was now 2-0 for Russia. At -81kg, it was Takanori Nagase for Japan and Murat Khabachirov for Russia. To keep Japan’s hopes alive, Nagase would have to win this one. Their nail-biting match was a scoreless one. However, once in Golden Score, Nagase launched into a driving ouchi-gari attack that scored ippon. Japan was still in the game. At -90kg, it was Mashu Baker for Japan versus Magomed Magomedov for Russia. The Japanese teen was down by a shido when he launched an opportunistic soto-makikomi at the end of the mat, which scored yuko. He immediately clamped on a pin for ippon. Japan was now even with Russia at 2-2, an essential victory which made Japan’s new hero smile the for the rest of the day. The +90kg weight class would be the one to determine the winner. For this match, it was Japan’s Ryu Shichinohe vs Russia’s Aslan Kambiev. The Japanese scored first, with a very low uchimata for waza-ari. Then, when the Russian tried a failed sumi-gaeshi, Shichinohe immediately attacked him with groundwork to pin him and win Japan the Team title. The last time the Japanese men won the world title was in 2010. In between France, Russia and Georgia had claimed the honours. It’s worth noting that in 2012 Japan had lost the final against Russia. It had got its revenge in Chelyabinsk, two years later.

Teddy Riner of France (white) throws David Moura of Brazil for a wazari (7 points) in the team match that Brazil won

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Medal Order

Sven Maresch of Germany (white) defeated Victor Penalber of Brazil by a shido (000s1/000s2) to take Germany into the lead during the Chelyabinsk Judo World Team Championships

Gold: Japan, Silver: Russia, Bronzes: Germany and Georgia Olympic bronze medallist, Annett Boehm interviews the German team for the IJF TV channel

The German men’s team defeated Kazakhstan five nil to win the bronze medal

The bronze medal winning German men’s team

The extraordinarily helpful volunteers gather together on stage on the last day

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Ryu Shichinohe of Japan (white) attacks Aslan Kambiev of Russia eventually winning by an ippon with a hold to win the deciding match for Japan and the gold medal Takanori Nagase of Japan (white) throws Murat Khabachirov of Russia for ippon helping Japan towin the gold medal

Mashu Baker of Japan holds Magomed Magomedov of Russia for an ippon to level the score against Russia 2-2

The gold medal winning Japanese team (L-R): Masashi Ebinuma, Shohei Ono, Takanori Nagase, Mashu Baker and Ryu Shichinohe

Ryu Shichinohe of Japan (white) throws Aslan Kambiev of Russia for a wazari then holding him for an ippon to win the deciding match for Japan and the gold medal Fans become excited as the Russian team starts defeating Japan in the Men’s final

Judo buddies”. L-R top: Marius Vizer of Hungary (IJF and SportAccord President), Vladimir Putin (President of Russia), Vladimir Nevzorov of Russia (1976 Olympic and 1975 World Champion). Bottom left: Yasuhiro Yamashita of Japan (1984 Olympic and 4 times World Champion)

The Japanese (left) and Russian men’s teams bow before contesting the final which was won by Japan 3-2

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships MEDAL WINNERS

The gold medal winning Japanese men’s team of (L-R): Kengo Takaichi;Riki Nakaya;Masashi, Ebinuma;Takanori Nagase;Shohei Ono;Daiki Nishiyama;Mashu Baker;Daiki Kamikawa and Ryu Shichinohe

The four medal winning men’s teams L-R: Silver; Russia, Gold; Japan, Bronzes; Germany and Georgia

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The Russian silver medal winning men’s team

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Natalia Kuziutina of Russia (blue) throws Yuki Hashimoto of Japan for a spectacular ippon (10 points) to reach the u52kg semi-final

Clarisse Agbegnenou of France (white) throws Yarden Gerbi of Israel for an ippon (10 points) to win the u63kg gold medal

Natalia Kuziutina of Russia (blue) throws Yuki Hashimoto of Japan for a spectacular ippon (10 points) to reach the u52kg semi-final

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Olympic champion and twice World champion, Ilias Iliadis of Greece throws Krisztian Toth of Hungary for ippon to win his third World title

Current World and Olympic champion, Teddy Riner of France (white) throws Michal Horak of the Czech Republic for ippon (10 points) in his second o100kg contest

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Romy Tarangul of Germany (white) throws Karolina Pienkowska of Poland for an ippon (10 points) with uchi-mata (inner thigh throw) to help Germany win the bronze medal

Sven Maresch of Germany (blue) throws Jesenko Cetic of Slovenia for ippon in their u81kg team match

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Olympic gold medallist, Idalys Ortiz of Cuba (white) throws Maria Suelen Altheman of Brazil for ippon (10 points) to win the o78kg gold medal

Kamal Khan-Magomedov of Russia (blue) throws Masashi Ebinuma of Japan with o-goshi (hip-throw) for ippon (10 points) to put Russia ahead

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Interview with Larissa Kiss, Director of the IJF Presidential office Q: Tell us a bit about the IJF Presidential Office and what your work (and those of your colleagues entail). A: The IJF Presidential Office centralizes all IJF activities related to all the sectors. The President and the Executive Committee make the decisions and it is our job to make sure they are communicated and applied at all levels. We maintain correspondence and contact with external organizations, such as the IOC, SportAccord, ASOIF etc. We also communicate with all the Continental Unions and each of the IJF member National Federations. The activities cover a wide range of sectors, such as policy making, juridical, competition organization, marketing, TV and media, finances, development, administration. We are in permanent contact with and have very good collaboration with the IJF General Secretariat in Paris and the IJF General Treasury in Abu-Dhabi. Our activities complement each other and this is a great example of support and cooperation. As far as competitions are concerned, there are of course, many sectors involved and it is a complex job. But we have a competent team, composed of professionals from all over the world. We are travelling to all the IJF events in order to ensure the IJF standards are fulfilled. We have the support of our host organizing countries as well and we can say that the standard is improving every year. Q: How have things changed since your team took over from the previous team? A: The team working under President Marius Vizer was built and consolidated over time, in accordance with the global reforms, the development and strategies of the IJF. I personally have a lot to thank to Vlad Marinescu, the previous Director of the IJF Presidential Office, who has assumed the position of Director General of SportAccord. Vlad was behind a number of innovations and he made a huge contribution to the changes the IJF went through these past few years. I have learned a lot from Vlad and I feel that I am continuing to learn everyday. On the whole, I am proud to be part of Mr. Vizer’s team and for me he represents an inspiration and motivation that are priceless. Q: What are some of the key milestones so far? A: The milestones that have radically changed the face and status of Judo and IJF since Mr Vizer took over in September 2007 are numerous: the introduction of a new World Ranking List and a new Olympic qualification system; clear and efficient regulations in all the sectors, starting from equipment and finishing with doping; new rules that make judo more understandable for the general public and more attractive for TV; an innovating and strong marketing and media strategy that attracts important sponsors and an enhanced media attention; a wide range of creative and useful development programs that contribute to the development of judo in all countries; as well as an administrative system that ensures the good functioning and progress of all the sectors. Being part of that has taught me a lot and it is with great satisfaction and gratefulness that I look back at all these years. Q: What are the biggest challenges? A: As in any job, there are always challenges that we are facing. Given the international character of our organization, there are cultural differences that we always must consider, whatever the activity or the location is. We have to continuously adapt, because our goal is to improve the level of judo and to achieve good and sustainable results, no matter what the activity is – competition, communication, development programs. Sometimes it is difficult to impose a certain standard or expectation, mostly because of such varied conditions from one part of the world to the other. But what I have witnessed in my almost seven years at the IJF is that the love and passion for our sport is something that truly unites people all over the world and it can surpass all obstacles. There is always a solution; resilience and dedication are key elements in our work.

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Q: What are you most proud of achieving? A: As I previously said, I am proud of being part of President Vizerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team, of contributing, to the best of my abilities, to all the fantastic achievements that mark the recent period of the IJF and I am especially grateful for being given the chance to learn, improve and use my skills and abilities to contribute to the major objectives set forth by the Executive Committee of the IJF. I would like to particularly emphasize that last year judo moved to a higher value category in the Olympic, which is an important achievement, ensuring a wider promotion and bigger recognition for our sport. Knowing also how difficult and rare this is and the fact that it happened for the first time in the history of judo since 1964, when it became an Olympic sport, this indeed makes me very happy and proud. It is the result of brilliant work from President Vizer, our Executive Committee and the entire staff behind this.

Larisa Kiss in her Budapest offices

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Q: How much travel do you do? Do you go to a lot of the competitions? What about you team? How do you decide who goes where? A: I always work as long as need be. I try to be present at as many competitions as possible. Travelling does not only involve competitions. I sometimes travel for meetings or seminars and conferences where I represent the IJF and President Vizer. Regarding the composition of the Competition Management team, each sector has a specific team and a designated leader, which in some areas is a member of the IJF Executive Committee. Each sector decides the composition of their team for a certain event and the names of the people are communicated well in advance to our General Secretariat who manages their flights and participation. Q: How big is your team? A: In the Presidential Office we have a team of four people. However, the average number of people that need to be present for a good standard competition is 40. This number can vary according to the importance and scale of the competition, but also depending on the team that is provided by the local organization. In general, we are witnessing a progress in all the teams and countries we are working with. Q: Are you a judo person yourself? A: I am a judoka. I have only practiced as a child, for a little while, when I was five years old. But the interesting thing is that Mr Vizer used to be my coach, so I can say that I’ve known him for a long time. I am a fan of sports and I have been following judo even before working for the IJF. Being so close to the sport only made me appreciate it even more. I am impressed by the values and principles of judo, by the exquisite technique and the complexity of the sport. Some athletes that I see in the circuit are simply outstanding and I admire them a lot. I have a lot of respect for the sport and all those related to it. Q: What are your thoughts about the 2014 Chelyabinsk World Judo Championship. Did things go as smoothly as you had hoped they would? Were the key objectives achieved? A: Since 2009, when I worked at my first Judo World Championships in Rotterdam, I can say that things have changed and improved substantially. It is another level, a different world even. The 2014 Chelyabinsk World Judo Championship was fantastic from all points of view. We had a great cooperation with the local organizing committee, who had invested a lot in this event, financially and energy-wise. We are grateful to them. Our TV broadcast was at an outstanding level and we have already excellent feedback from all over the world. I have spoken to many athletes, coaches and delegates, they were all impressed and pleased with the event. I think the level of judo, of refereeing and of organization were all excellent in Chelyabinsk and I hope the Russian public as well as our followers from the entire world received a great experience that they could enjoy. Q: What are some of the new things you look forward to implementing/achieving in the near future? A: First of all, I am eager to follow the current IJF strategy and to improve even more. I hope that we can become even better and that even more people will start watching and practicing judo. It is such a complex sport that fits so many purposes, be it athletic performance, education, health… More specifically, I hope that in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, there will also be a Team Event for judo, which would be another milestone in the history of the sport. We will for sure put all our energy and efforts into achieving this goal. Oon Yeoh & Larisa Kiss

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The IJF team poses for a photo on the last day of the championships with Larisa Kiss fourth from left while standing (Photo by IJF)

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A time for collaboration - IJF inks new contracts in Chelyabinsk

JF President, Marius Vizer (left) signed a new contract with Jahangir Riaz of Green Hill to extend their collaboration as IJF Judogi Master Suppliers

On day 3 in Chelyabinsk there was a special contract signing between the International Judo Federation and leading international sports brand and manufactures Green Hill. Mr. Marius VIZER, IJF President, joined Mr. Jahangir RIAZ, Green Hill President, to further develop the strong ties between the respective parties. A new multi-year tatami supplier deal was signed to follow a recent contract extension for Green Hill to serve as Judogi Master Suppliers which was signed at the Tbilisi Grand Prix in March. Mr. VIZER said: “It was two years ago when the Judogi Master Suppliers deal was initiated and it has been mutually beneficial for us. Yet today is another important step in the direction of our collaboration. We have a very good relationship with Green Hill and personally with Mr. RIAZ. This new partnership for tatami will be Mr. RIAZ said: “I would like to thank Mr. VIZER for his support and the opportunity to have this partnership and to share it on the stage of the World Championships. We are really happy and satisfied with our partnership with the IJF and we are always looking for ways to off new ideas and opportunities. The tatami deal is an important step and one which we are very excited about.”

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships 2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships Sambo

On the seventh and final day of the World Championships there was a cooperation agreement signing between the IJF and FIAS, the International Sambo Federation. The one-year contract signed today by Mr. VIZER and FIAS President Mr. Vasily SHESTAKOV will see both federations work together to develop their work in areas such as integrity, media and marketing. The signing was attended by the Minister of Sports for the Russian Federation, Mr. Vitaly MUTKO, who said: “I have seen a very high level of sport and of judo here in Chelyabinsk and an outstanding atmosphere. There is a great tradition of sport in the Chelyabinsk Region. “I have the greatest impression of these judo event. Of course, my gratitude goes the IJF and its President, Mr. Marius Vizer. Thanks to the IJF and the Russian Judo Federation, judo is growing in our country and it has become a real priority. “Talking about the results of our national team, I want to say that I am really pleased with the global results. Russia won eight individual medals, this is excellent and we can feel the London Olympics effect. A few years back that wouldn’t have been possible. Of course, we wanted gold as well, but sport is never written in advance and the concurrence is important at the international level.” Mr. VIZER said: “My gratitude goes to the organising committee of those World Championships, to the Russian Federation and to the Russian Judo Federation. It was a perfect example of unity and solidarity and a bridge of friendship for Russia in a difficult moment. During a week, Chelyabinsk was a highland of peace and once again it showed friendship and solidarity from Russia to the world.” “The level of judo has been very high throughout the week. The rules that we have implemented in the framework of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 confirmed that they are moving judo in the right direction. I am deeply convinced that judo is growing and I would like to express my thanks to the media which widely followed the event. They help us to promote the values of judo. “Russia has been supporting sports for a very long time. This is the case on a domestic level as well as at the international level. I do hope and believe that through this event, we have promoted the right values. Everybody will go back home with a positive impression and with a good taste of the Russian hospitality and culture and of course I want to congratulate all the winners.” Before putting pen to paper and inking the new contract with FIAS, Mr. VIZER said: “After long conversations with my colleague from the International Sambo Federation, Mr. Vasily SHESTAKOV, we reached an agreement with Sambo. This is a one-year cooperation that can then be extended. We will help each other to develop our sports with friendship, in the fields of marketing, media and sports development.” Mr. SHESTAKOV said: “I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Mr. VIZER. Our sports are friends. We are even brothers. The organisation of the IJF under the leadership of Mr. VIZER is an example to be followed. As he is also the President of SportAccord, he promotes all the sports and we are part of that family.” Mr Vasily Shestakov of the International Sambo Federation

Mark Pickering

For the agreeing of the IJF and Sambo cooperation there was (L-R) Mr Vital Mutko, Russian Minister for Sport, Mr Vizer of the IJF, Mr Vasily Shestakov of the International Sambo Federation and Mr Jean-Luc Rouge of the IJF

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A unique and unforgettable event for all… World Championships 2014 “It is not just a tournament for the Chelyabinsk region, but a great sport holiday. We are happy to see lots of judo fans all over the world.” – said the official website of the 2014 Judo World Championships. The organisers truly overwhelmed everyone who was involved, whether it was to be a player, coach, team official or volunteer. We come across different types of advertisements as they have invaded every aspect of our day to day life, our conversations, and our thoughts and to a certain extent adverts often control our interest in different things. Advertisement is also essential when announcing an upcoming event. Furthermore, it contributes to the success of the event. The organisers of the 2014 Judo World Championships certainly put enormous effort into the advertisement of the event whilst leaving a remarkable memory in all who attended. Whether driving around town, or just taking a walk on the high road, or even if just popping down to the corner shop, there was no lack of advertisement which wouldn’t display information about the tournament. The city of Chelyabinsk was showered by different size of posters, billboards, signs and flags displaying the key details of the event. Transportation of the event such as coaches, buses and cars were all dressed up in their ‘own uniform’ which involved international flags, ‘Zhorik the tiger’ and the famous logo of the competition which displayed a shadowed man sat down in a judogi…

The mascot Zhorik the tiger and the popular mascot of the championships returned into duty after a successful European Championships in 2012. The name ‘Zhorik’ it’s short from Georgiy (or George in English). The name refers to a real tiger who was saved from death by residence of Chelyabinsk. Zhorik was non-stop wearing his blue judogi with the world championships logo on it and ensured a great level of entertainment inside and outside of the Traktor Arena. If that was not enough, Zhorik was there to welcome everyone up on arrival at the airport, even if it involved not having much sleep on the day. Zhorik was one of the key members on lifting up the spirit of the championships.

One of the entrances to the Judo Park and arena

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The illuminated billboard that carries a picture of President Vladimir Putin throwing in judo

Zhorik the tiger on the side of a block of flats

Advertisements Billboards were one of the great attractions to everyone. To express the warm welcome from the population of Chelyabinsk and the whole of Russian nation, these billboards displayed not only Russian judo heroes but other judo legends from all across the world. The displays of these large sized billboards were on showcase from May, four months before the start of the tournament. Posters and different sized of signs were just everywhere, literally everywhere. Flags with the logo of the championships were presented all around, in hotels, venues, restaurants, bars. The city of Chelyabinsk was truly dressed up to be the soul of the 2014 World Championships.

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships Up-to-date To maximise the efficiency of the organisation and advertisement of the 2014 World Championships, daily newspapers were printed demonstrating the actions of the tournament each and every day. These free copies were available for everyone and included not only up to date news but some interesting quotes from fans too.

Judo coins Whilst the organisers finalised crucial elements for the event, The Bank of Russia was also actively working towards promoting the event as well as the sport itself. They have issued commemorative coins of gold and silver to the world championship. These coins were and are legal cash payment in Russia, which represents the remaining memory of the tournament. On the obverse within the circulation of rim of the beads, the relief image of the logo of Bank of Russia is displayed. On the reverse side of the coin relief images of Vladimir Putin throwing a judo technique called tai-otoshi. This picture on the reverse side was originally taken in St. Petersburg years ago during training, where Vladimir Putin was at present as a coach and showed tai-otoshi which is his speciality. Years ago, a statue of this image was also uncovered in the heart of Chelyabinsk. The statue called ‘brosok’ which means throw. The logo – ‘The man in the shadow’ The logo of the World Championships was similar design to the logo of the European Championships two years ago which was also held in Chelyabinsk. The difference could be seen on the actual shadowed judoka displayed on the logo. Two years ago, it was almost like a kneeing stick man presented on the logo. The 2014 World Championships, however, brought more history after the display of a shadow shape of a sitting male judoka…the shadowed man in fact was Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia.

The front of the first of the daily judo newspapers

The piece of art was copied from a famous photograph of Vladimir Putin on a book called, Judo: History, Theory, Practice; written by the president himself and in collaboration with Vasily Shestakov and Alexy Levitsky. The book was published in 2004. Inside, it gives a complete history of judo, from its origins in Japanese jujitsu through its development into an Olympic sport, including Russia’s contributions to the art. Furthermore, it discovers different rules and basic concepts, followed by detailed instruction in break-falling, throwing techniques, and ground grappling. Judo theory is examined, and key practice points are presented, as well as strategies for the beginner and an exploration of ‘kuzushi’ which is the term for breaking balance. Lastly, the authors present a self-defence technique of judo and introduce the unique Russian art of combat called, Sambo. To assist the organization of the tournament there were 800 volunteers, and to cover it there were more than 340 journalists from around the world. Live actions were followed via national channel, “Russia-2” as well as two regional channels. The prize fund of the competition was 300 thousand dollars. These are just few numbers from the 2014 World Championships, but what remains in all of us are the memories… great memories of a uniquely organised event from the host of the tournament, Chelyabinsk. President Vladimir Putin and the book used for the Chelyabinsk logo

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships “JUDO IS JUST SO DIFFERENT TO ANY OTHER SPORTS, IT IS TRULY MORE THAN JUST A SPORT ...” The large fleet of personal transport buses all fully decorated for the judo

Hundreds of volunteers were at present to assist the throng of world class judokas at the 2014 World Championships in Chelybinsk, Russia. The majority of the volunteers found this exciting role via a social network called ‘VK’ which stands for ‘VKontakte’ in their language. By the time of the event, 800 candidates, out of the total number of 1300 applicants, were able to complete successfully all the different exams to join the team. Anna Diachkova, 20, was one of the inspired volunteers, however it wasn’t the first time for her to witness all the action close to the tatami. “I was the mother of the Hungarian team during the tournament.” – she said. Mother? – instinctly I asked the question. “Yes, I say mother because the way I pronounce my name in Russian is ‘Anya’, which means mother in Hungarian.” – she smiles. “I believe that the key roles of a volunteer are to cheer the team on, support them, share the tears and smiles with them…just like a mother” - she added. Anna wasn’t far from telling the truth, however her exact role was an attaché to the Hungarian team, which meant to assist the team 24/7. Anna has a long history as a volunteer and her role began with Judo. The first ever role she took on was at the 2012 Judo European Championships in Chelyabinsk; following that up with the U19 Water Polo EC in the same year. In 2013 she was volunteering at the Senior Water Polo WC, at the Taekwondo Russia Open, at the Olympic Torch process as the team leader of the animator team and at the Hockey Continental league. 2014 brought her the opportunity to be involved in the Sochi Winter Olympics, following that up with the 2014 Water Polo EC in Budapest and now she was back to her very first memory. Back to the Traktor Arena for the 2014 Judo World Championships. Anna’s involvement in different sporting events changed her plan for her future. She is currently a student at the Chelyabinsk State University, where she began studying Regionalist – Japanese region and diplomacy and International Relations with the plan of becoming a Japanese interpreter. However, she admitted, after all her involvement in different sporting events she is now more focused to be involved with sport management. What inspired you to be involved in the 2014 WC? The world of judo is so different and I could see how much it meant to them in 2012 at the EC, it was really inspiring. Judo is just so different to any other sports, it is truly more than just a sport. I think it is really connected with its’ origin. It is not only a sport but a philosophy too. You not only fight with your opponent but you fight with yourself. All these country all together it looks like a family and I think the volunteers were just topping it up. Moreover, for us it is a great opportunity to communicate and create contacts with people abroad. It is good practice to improve our knowledge of foreign languages, whether it be English, French or others.

The very capable young volunteers give the ‘thumbs-up

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships For outsiders, Judo is known to be huge in Russia. What is the reality? Well, if you look at the advertisement logo of the Championships there is a figure. That figure is our president, Vladimir Putin. This logo has been copied from a book written by Vasily Shestakov, Alexander Levitzky and the president himself. I think that tells it all. You can imagine how big it is. Having said that, it is not our number one national sport but I can assure that everyone knows the existence of it even if they have never been involved themselves. What do you think of the overall coverage and organisation? We know that the majority of the people have the same opinion of Russia in general and it is not entirely positive. We remain a very welcoming people, and we want to show that to the world. We had advertisements in every corner of the city of Chelyabinsk. The posters did not only display our great judokas but players from aboard too. By having such a number of volunteers at this event we hope we showed that we care and we are here to support. Moreover, it is our nature that if something doesn’t work we push it until it works. So, hosting such an event as the World Championships also helps us to realise our errors in the city too and build from those errors to make it better. Which is your favourite country and why? I will say it is Hungary, but that is due to the fact that I was working with them at the 2012 Judo EC which was my first impression of the sport of Judo. As I described earlier, the tension, determination and the motivation was incredible from the team. I believe it must have been the same for all, but I was with the Hungarian team and so they inspired me. Besides Hungary I would say Japan and Sweden are my favourites too. The first ever Judo Park was built in front of the Traktor Arena. Could you tell us a bit about it? It is a brand new idea as far as I am aware. Inside, you find different sections such as social area, judo store, food court and there is a great space of section build to display some parts of the Russian tradition. There is even a post office built outside to send postcards to your country for a very small cost. The atmosphere and the vibe is great out there. The 2015 World Championships will take place in Astana, Kazahstan. “We are working closely with the organisers in Astana and helping them with everything including advertising. Some of us may be attending the event there too. I am not sure where I will be but I am sure it will be another amazing Judo event.” – Anna explained. Our sporting heroes will return to Russia on the occasion of the 2016 European Championships which will take place in Kazan and will be the last qualification tournament for the 2016 Olympic Games. Report by Szandra Szogedi

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships 2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships Backstage with the IJF Team at the 2014 World Championships By Lance Wicks.

Travel & Accomadation Before the championships begin the work starts with travel and accrediation for all the teams both national and IJF. The IJF and organisers arrange invitatiosn for visas and travel for teams. In advance of everyone arriving the team create photo accreditation cards including which areas the individuals can access. As teams arrive they go through the accreditation process which includes:

Registration Lance Wicks in charge of the live video distribution during the Chelyabinsk Judo World Championships

e Name: FINCH140829A8904 -Franco-Rook-Boehm.JPG & date: 29 Aug 2014 Folder: 17 Backstage IJF team

Each team must attend the registration and bring all the passports for all the athletes, coaches and delegates. All the details are checked against the registrations completed in advance of the event, including making sure players are enetered in the right categories and their names are spelt correctly

Finances and Arrangements The local organisers ensure that all entry fees hotel arrangements, departure flight details etc are in order. Checks to ensure that all delegates have hotel rooms, teams know where and when they can train. Transportation and these sorts of details are all checked and double checked.

Anthems and Flags Each teams National flag and National anthem is checked by the teams to ensure that should one of them stand in the gold medal position the correct flag will be flown and correct athem will be played. This is also where sponsors back patches are provided. During the afternoon break, Sheldon Franco-Rook talks to Annette Boehm on air on the live IJF TV channel

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships Whilst teams are arriving and training, preparations at the venue begin. The IJF competition team work with the local organisers to prepare the stadium. This starts with the laying of the tatami for the contest area and proceeds to include the various other elements needed to run the event. This included for this championships: * Over 40 video cameras * Approximately 1000 meters of camera cabling * 30+ computers for scoreboard referee commission and competition information systems. * Many thousands of meters of table clothes and stadium dressing * Sponsors banners around tatami and venue.

The preparations at the venue continue into the early hours of the morning of the first day of competition. Culminating in test contests, where everything is tested including the draw, scoreboards, contestants going from the warmup area through to the tatami; even the medal presentation is rehearsed.

The draw On the day before competition starts, the draw occurs. This event is the teams last opportunity to confirm spellings of names; weight categories and seeding via the IJF World Ranking List. After the draw; all details are final. The draw is also an opportunity for the coaches and team leaders to hear from the IJF refereeing commission about interpretations of the rules and any important matters that might affect them.

Referees

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Competition Day!! Before the players arrive, the IJF team is in the venue setting up. Computers are loaded with the competition order, players names and nations etc. All the cameras are tested and the http://ippon.tv live stream tested. A countdown to the starttime is put on the “jumbotron” big screens so that everyone knows precisely how long is left before the start of the day. Shortly before the start, the first players are ushered to Judogi control and line up in the tunnel ready to take to the mat. Judogi are tested with the sokuteki and a random selection of players are also weighed in to ensure that players are not exceeding the allowed amount of weight to put on overnight. Next the referees take to the mat, following the order calculated by the http://ippon. org tournament software that ensures that referees are evenly distributed and that referees don’t referee players from their own country.

2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships 2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships The referee commission sit with the sports directors next to the CARE system operator, who is able to show them any action on any mat; from both sides of the mat. They also have the radio system in place so they can communicate with the referees on the mat along with the additional two referees off the mat watching a seperate replay system. With five minutes to go before the start, the commentary team starts broadcasting and introduce the event and the days action. The IT team start the systems that record all the video and data for http://judobase.org system as well as live results for http://ippon.org As the first contests start and finish, the IT team ensure that everything is working correctly. This includes scores being entered correctly, winners awarded contests and new player names appearing. As throws occur, the live streamingand TV teams work to ensure that the big scores are included in relays both on the live stream, in the television broadcast and on the big screens at the venue itself.

Ippon.orgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Matthias Fischer who is in charge of the IT team

The competition software is the backbone of the event and ensures everything flows smoothly, from the live TV graphics through to the stadium announcer and the coach information screens that tell coaches how long until their players will be on the mat.

After the Competition After all the excitement of the finals concludes, the IJF team work on into the night. The media team write up the days stories, record video etc. The sports directors head off to weigh-ins. The TV team edit highlight packages, photographers upload photos to newspapers and agencies etc. The IT team, ensure that the results are online and that the http://Judobase.org site has the details of every contest and accompanying video footage. Exports of contentious refereeing decisions are compiled and exported from the CARE system for review by the refereeing commission and the IT team. Then the names and contests for tomorrow are loaded into the competition software, scoreboards, etc. Settings for the live stream loaded up and tested, etc. Finally, as the lights are dimmed and everyone else has left (except perhaps the doctor overseeing the anti-doping); the IT team shuts down all the hardware for the night and heads off for a meal together before turning in for the night, before getting up early to be there before the players arrive the next day. Lance Wicks

Larisa Kiss, seated slightly right, held daily meetings with the IJF team during the Chelyabinsk Judo World Championships

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Did You Know? - Facts about judo In the 1940s the occupation authorities prohibited Judo teaching in Japan. Judo was practiced underground only. The only Judo monument in Russia named “Throw” is situated in Chelyabinsk. Russian solidly built moustached guy throws his rival down on his back with a graceful throw. Russian President Vladimir Putin has a scaled-down silver copy of the sculpture in his possession. Jigoro Kano, the Judo founder, was a physically weak boy until he was 15 and was not strong-built at all. Surely, peers often beat Kano. That’s why he decided to take up single combat sport. At the age of 22 Kano created a new martial art named Judo. If all athletes arriving to the Judo World Championships line up along the Kirov street, the line will stretch from the Revolution Square to the circus. Judo has been used in Japanese police training since 1886. A set of arresting techniques to detain criminals, Renkoho Waza, was developed especially for the police. Judo is the most popular kind of single combat in the world. A total of 28 million people in the world practice Judo, 8 million of them are in Japan and about 200 thousand - in Russia. There are 12 dan grades in Judo, not 10 as it is commonly believed. No one has ever been promoted to the rank of the 11th dan, and the 12th dan was awarded to a single person - Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo. Russian President Vladimir Putin holds the grade of the 8th dan.

Professor Jigoro Kano’s reply to Baron de Courbetin accepting his offer to join the International Olympic Committee in 1909

Many politicians were Judo amateurs. The USA President Theodore Roosevelt regularly practiced Judo in specially equipped premises of the White House with a trusted delegate of a Japanese teacher. Even Angela Merkel, the Germany’s Chancellor, was fond of that martial art. The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin is also known for his love to Judo. In 2010 Putin, holding the grade of the 8th dan, received honorary diploma “Doctor in Judo” of South Korean Yongin University. Many famous actors practiced Judo at some time. For example, Hollywood film director Guy Ritchie, actors Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris often use Judo techniques in their films. As for Russian actors, Dmitry Pevtsov, Dmitry Nagiev and stunt player Aleksandr Inshakov learned Judo. For the first time Judo was included in the XVIII Olympics in Tokio in 1964. Medals were awarded in 4 classes. Soviet judoists won four bronze medals. Such a success immediately made the USSR one of the countries with the strongest Judo schools in the world.

Dr Jigoro Kano of Japan

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Yasuhiro Yamashita was undefeated throughout his international career. Here he is holding Grigory Veritchev of Russia to win the 1981 Maastricht World Championships gold medal

One of the early international judo contests between London’s Budokwai Judo Club and the German national team in 1932

Judo techniques became the basis of many modern martial art systems including Aikido, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Russian Sambo. By the way, one of the founders of Sambo Vasily Oschepkov was a holder of the second Dan in Judo - at that time this achievement was really unique for a European. Before 1914 Judo in Russia was practically unknown, although some techniques of this martial art, taken from foreign books on self-defence, were studied at the St. Petersburg Police School since 1902. In 1907 Kano’s Judo was so widely spread that it was introduced into the program of secondary general education schools in Japan. Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, was strict and at the same time heartfelt teacher. He trained to strict discipline, but nobody had to pay for the studies in his school, and he was brought rice and tea instead. Kano sewed sports clothing for his students himself. Yasuhiro Yamashita is the only judoist in the world who retired from sports undefeated. He drew 217 official single combats and lost none.

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World famous actor, Peter Sellers, used to train at London’s London Judo Society and sponsored a regular tournament

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships Fighting Films had a seven person team at the World Championships As official videographers for the International Judo Federation, our job is split between two main roles; one to produce the best possible live TV broadcast and one to produce two highlight programmes off the back of the World Championships. This was a 47 minute programme for the individual’s event (first six days of competition) and a 26 minute programme for the team event. In addition to these two key products we also provided news features for the IJF. In Chelyabinsk the team managed news feeds for both the IJF Facebook and YouTube page, plus video news edits at the end of each day. The host broadcast team working for us contained 105 members of staff and 40 cameras. The equipment included state-of-the-art ultra and super-slow-motion cameras, crane cameras and rigged overhead cameras, all of which had been recently used at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. The standard of broadcast for a judo competition was unprecedented, with the coverage being on a par alongside any other major sporting event. Judo has always been great for TV, with the intimacy of the sport (covered on a 10m x 10m area) combined with the unique Ippon score adding up to a recipe of excitement and unpredictability. In Chelyabinsk this was combined with world class coverage, a packed and knowledgeable crowd every day and a stunning team event on the final day. The true drama of judo was fully exposed to the world At this event I was working with five key staff from the host broadcaster, who relayed all information onto the rest of their team. We had a five person team inside the field of play, which were responsible for recording all footage from the host broadcasters, aswell as recording additional film from our own cameras. This footage would then be given to Daniel O Connell, my fellow TV Director, who at this event was in charge of the highlights production. At the end of each day Daniel would receive a copy of the day’s footage and would edit the highlights in his room the following day. He would be in touch with us if he needed any additional material to make his edits even better, which we would then get as quickly as possible.

Jack Willingham of Fighting Films (centre) interviews Riki Nakaya of Japan with the help of a translator for the TV broadcast

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Danny Hicks of Fighting Films in charge of the 2009 Tbilisi European Championships broadcasting team

The Facebook and YouTube feeds were live news feeds we produced for the IJF. These would include photo and video edits and would be added throughout the day, as quickly after the event as possible. The aim would be to have a photo and video edit of a fighter uploaded in good time before they stepped onto the tatami in the final block. These would also sometimes include interviews with the fighters (but usually their coaches) that would be recorded in the mixed zone. At the end of the day we were producing a highlights package, and again uploading as quickly as possible. This was used for both broadcast partners of the IJF and on the social media sites. Former British World Champion Neil Adams is the IJF and Fighting Films commentator. His voice went out live every day, from his seated position high up in the stands. There is no voice in the world of judo like that of Neil Adams and he is a great ambassador for judo. Within one week of the World Championships finishing we had completed the two highlight programmes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; individuals and team event. These highlights are the best moments from the tournament squeezed into two action-packed programmes. They contain coverage of all medallists, with commentary and narration by Neil, additional footage (not seen in the live broadcast) graphics, music, effects, interviews and additional news features. The highlights were broadcast around 2-3 weeks after the World Championships and were the perfect way to give people another taste of the mouth-watering spectacle that came from Chelyabinsk and the IJF. Danny Hicks

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships Acknowledgements The annual World Championships takes the combat discipline of Judo to different cities around the world. Many cities that have hosted the World Championships in the past, such as Paris or Tokyo, have a very high profile but Chelyabinsk is not a capital city. However, it hosted one of the best championships in recent years with quite extraordinary support from volunteers and the city governors as reported in Szandra Szogedi’s excellent article “A unique and unforgettable event....” earlier in the book. It is volunteers that have helped make this book possible and I would like to thank Marius Vizer and Larisa Kiss for their assistance in producing this second book solely dedicated to a single Judo World Championships. Without their support the project would not have materialised. Oon Yeoh of JudoCrazy.com, represented Malaysia at the 1993 World Championships and was a media volunteer at the Atlanta Olympics. As a professional journalist he analysed the contests and wrote the daily contest reports for the book. Without his efforts the book would not have been possible and I thank him sincerely for that work. Hans van Essen of JudoInside.com has again done a meticulous job in presenting past results and identifying judo’s current and future legends. His daily updated website is the best in the world. Lance Wicks of JudoCoach.com, who ensures that the live videos of the competition are available around the world, supplied the Backstage article describing what happens at these events. and how the IJF’s TV team photographers get everything online that evening. His contribution to the book and to the judo community is first class. Mark Pickering’s contribution to the media releases by the IJF and his control and presentation of the press conferences at the Chelyabinsk Worlds was first class. Two of the press conference reports are included. IJF President, Marius Vizer addressing the audience at the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Tokyo World Championships

As mentioned earlier, Szandra Szogedi who was competing in Chelyabinsk for Ghana, has written two excellent pieces about the championships, the volunteers and the Judo Park. Paul Sheals of RocketFishLtd.co.uk has again produced an excellent commemorative book compatible with the quality of the Chelyabinsk World champions and my sincere thanks goes to them. Finally, and not least I would like to thank Danny Hicks of FightingFilms.com for his article about his team and their excellent video coverage of the event. David Finch Editor and photographer at Judophotos.com and Getty Images

Szandra Szogedi (right) with Olympic and World champion, Maki Tsukada at London’s Northbrook Judo Club after giving a junior course in 2012

Lance Wicks commentating for the live video feed at the 2013 British Junior championships

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2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships 2014 Chelyabinski World Judo Championships Oon Yeoh of Malaysia competing at the 1993 Hamilton World Championships

IJF Media Executive, Mark Pickering (left), chaired the press conferences throughout the championships

David Finch (right) with Yasuhiro Yamashita of Japan, 1984 Olympic Gold Medallist at London’s Budokwai Judo Club.

Hans van Essen interviewing former Olympic and World champion Angelique Seriese at the 2005 Rotterdam World Cup

Danny Hicks (centre). Dan O’Connor (left) and Adam Bell working at the Paris Tournament in 2010

Paul Sheals (right) was unlucky enough to be drawn against Hirotaka Okada at the 1987 Essen Worlds. Sheals lost by a koka while Okada went on to claim the gold medal.

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