Preview Day 2 Grand Slam Tashkent

Day two of the Grand Slam in Tashkent includes the powerful middleweights revving their engines in anticipation of some very strong opposition. The home country will be strong on Saturday, but also the Japanese women will be expected.

U73kg: Home Team Triple Threat

The U73kg category will be all about the home team. The triple threat of Yuldoshev, Nomonov and Akhadov, ranked 6th, 8th and 12th in the world, respectively, will be aiming to outdo each other as they battle for the Paris 2024 Olympic place for Uzbekistan. Each have made convincing claims to that spot recently, all 3 having placed in the top 6 at the 2022 Masters, with Nomonov winning grand prix gold in Portugal only a few weeks ago.

Trying to spoil the party will be Tel Aviv gold medallist Stump (SUI), Asian champion Shamshayev (KAZ) and the new Japanese powerhouse Oyoshi, who has 3 grand slam medals from his 3 attempts so far. Can any of them take the top spot ahead of the home nation?

U63kg: Brazil Join the Party

The favourite at U63kg is undoubtedly Megumi Horikawa (JPN), world champion in Tashkent and also the top seed this time around. She defeated the number 2 seed, Timo (POR), en route to her world title, so the Portuguese judoka will want to try everything to avoid a repeat of that defeat should they meet again in the final. Fifth seed Del Toro Carvajal (CUB) is enjoying a return to form, with a bronze medal in Paris and a silver in Tel Aviv, defeating both Timo and 4th seed Ozbas (HUN) on her way to that Paris medal and will fancy her chances once again in Tashkent.

Beyond the seeded players, it is worth keeping an eye on the Brazilian duo of Gabriella Moraes and Tamires Crude, ranked 45th and 50th in the world respectively. Each has earned their first World Judo Tour medal in the past 9 months, Moraes only one month ago in Portugal, and both are capable of causing an upset.

U81kg: The Most Open Category

After an incredible run in the middle of 2022 which sent him hurtling towards the top of the world rankings, number 1 seed Guilherme Schimidt (BRA) is going through a bit of a rough patch of late. The Brazilian hasn’t made it onto the podium in his last 6 World Tour events and will be hoping to prove a point in Tashkent. To do so he will have to get past home hero and number 3 seed Boltaboev and world and Olympic bronze medallist Borchashvili (AUT), seeded second. Eighth seed Fernando (POR) will be keen to convert his world-beating ability into consistency and more importantly medals. And of course, Ungvari (HUN) can never be ruled out of the running; he is seeded 4th.

U70kg: Croatian Dreams

An exciting prospect in the U70kg category is a repeat of the all-Croatian final from the Tashkent World Championships last year, with teammates and friends Barbara Matic and Lara Cvjetko on opposite sides of the draw once again. Each will have to dispense with some strong opposition to make that dream a reality. They are likely to have to pass quarter-final tests from the German pair of Butkereit and Scoccimarro, respectively, while Cvjetko has a thrilling potential semi-final match-up with Olympic silver medallist and recent Masters winner Polleres (AUT) on the cards. Potential disruptors could appear in the form of Paris Grand Slam medallist Froner (BRA) and Abu Dhabi medallist and 8th seed Esposito (ITA).

So with day 2 about to get under way while the day 3 athletes get ready to meet the logistic needs of pre-fight day, we acknowledge that judo continues to set the bar when it comes to showcasing the world’s best athletes. It’s impossible to turn away, with excitement on every mat and a feeling that the Olympic Games is just around the corner. The world and Olympic rankings are yet to settle and that means everything is still to play for!