38th WMC Judo – Rio de Janeiro (BRA) - Day 2
Gold for Brazil in the male and female team competition !
RIO DE JANEIRO (BRA) – The first competitions of the 38th WMC Judo were held yesterday in Rio de Janeiro with the team men and women events with the presence of famous Olympic athlete among the participants: France's Clarisse Agbegnenou, Olympic runner-up and three-time world champion, Audrey Tcheumeo, also Olympic runner-up and world champion, and Marie-Ève Gahié silver World Champions runner-up, Kazakhstan's Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh, bronze medallist in Rio 2016. Among the men, the Iranian Saeid Molaei, world champion in 2018, Aleksandar Kukolj, from Serbia, number 2 in the world, Russia's Niaz Ilyasov, junior world champion and bronze medallist at the 2018 World Cup in Baku also took part in the event.
Brazil achieved an impressive performance yesterday in the team events at the 38th Judo World Military Championship in Rio de Janeiro, with the men's and women's teams winning the gold medal. The two finals, against Russia and France respectively, were very exciting and took place inside a gym that looked more like a pressure cooker.
After 2013 in Astana, the Brazilians ladies won once again the team title while the men’s team finally won the gold medal they lost in the same tournament in Astana.
After two victories in the round-robin phase against Serbia (3/1) and China (4/1), Brazil also defeated Russia in semi-final (3/0). The fans were expecting a blowing gold medal game between the local team and a French team composed of Olympic judokas. And no-one was disappointed by this final! Jéssica Pereira (-52kg) was the one who opened the finals by defeating Marine Lhenry by immobilization. Olympic champion Rafaela Silva (-57kg) made 2-0 with a waza-ari over Helene Receveaux, but France reacted and equalized with the three-time world champion and Olympic runner-up Clarisse Agbegnenou (-63kg) to beat Aléxia Castles. Marie-Ève Gahié (-70kg) also defeated by ippon the youngest of the Brazilian team, Ellen Santana.
The final game was thus decisive with a fight between the +78kg athletes with Maria Suelen Altheman guaranteeing the gold by forcing three punishments to Julia Tolofua.
After defeating successively China (3 to 1), Serbia (5 to 0) and France (5 to 0), the Brazilian male team faced Russia in an exciting final. David Moura (+ 90kg) lost the first fight against Tamerlan Bashaev with a waza-ari, but Charles Chibana (-66kg) tied the game by beating Alim Balkarov. The Russians then took the lead with Georgii Elbakiev (-73kg) beating Marcelo Contini. The next duel was intense. With Brazil needing a win to stay alive, Alan Khubetsov (-81kg) came out ahead of Eduardo Yudy with a waza-ari, but the Brazilian equalized the duel and got an ippon on the Golden Score that lifted the gym. In the final clash, Eduardo Bettoni (-90kg) faced Mikhail Igolnikov and, like Maria Suelen, the Brazilian forced 3 punishments of the rival to guarantee the Brazilian double.
After the team competition, the following individual events will be held today: 60kg, -66kg, 73kg, -52kg, -57kg) while the -81kg, -90kg, -100kg, + 100kg, -63kg, -70kg, -78kg and + 78kg events will take place on Saturday.
The first competitions will start today morning in Rio de Janeiro with the team competitions preceded by the Press Conference of the event. The event will be broadcasted on SporTV 2 and on the OC FACEBOOK PAGE.
More information on the OC FACEBOOK PAGE.
All the pictures of the event are available on the CISM FLICKR ACCOUNT!
(Source: CISM Media and Communication Department)
(Pictures: Mr. Maxime Morlet, CISM Media and Communication Assistant & Photographer)
