The 2023 Judo World Tour has kicked off in Portugal.
Season 2023 for IFD The World Tour kicked off in sunny Portugal and the stadium was filled with fans ready to witness the first tournament of the year.
Category up to 48 kg
In the category up to 48 kg, it was the all-Kazakh final. Abiba Abuzhakinova dealt a decisive waza-ari blow to her compatriot Galia Tynbayeva, but both athletes showed real judo qualities, showing great friendship and sportsmanship.
Mister. Vlad Marinescu, Director General of the IJF, was present at the presentation of the medals.
Category up to 60 kg
In the category up to 60 kg, the Japanese youth Yamato Fukuda made his first appearance at the Grand Prix.
Having beaten the experienced Francisco Garrigos with an excellent transition on the ground.
He was awarded the Mr. Juan Carlos Barcos, Director of International Relations, IJF.
“Instead of this result giving me more confidence,” Fukuda said, “it actually means that in the future I will be sent to various competitions around the world, and I will represent Japan in each of these competitions. determined to work harder and harder so that I can bear this burden.
Olympian and World Cup medalist Chelsea Giles started her year incredibly well – having arrived in Portugal as the world number one, she cemented her place at the top with a fantastic performance.
She was awarded the Dr. Lisa Allan, Director of Events, IJF
“It’s so great just to get a medal wherever you are,” Giles explained. “I didn’t get many gold medals as an adult, so getting a gold medal is great, especially considering that this is the first competition of the year.”
Category up to 66 kg
In the weight category up to 66 kg, Mukhriddin Tilovov from Uzbekistan shocked the former world champion An Baul, and his legendary coach Ilias Iliadis was delighted!
The medals were presented to Mr. Armen Baghdasarov, Chief Referee Director of the IJF
Category up to 57 kg
In the 57kg category, Hu Mimi from Korea defeated the reigning world champion Rafaela Silva from Brazil with pure determination! She was excited to celebrate with her coach
She was awarded the Gold Medal by Mr. Neil Adams, IJF Judging Supervisor.
The hosts were on fire all day showing some of the most brilliant judo in Almada! This tournament is a fantastic chance for a young Portuguese team to show the world just how strong Portuguese judo is getting. The next two days promise to be exciting.