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Judo Grand Slam in Antalya: Gold for Aaron Fara!

Aaron Fara from Lower Austria won gold at the Judo Grand Slam in Antalya. In the final he defeated Daniel Eich from Switzerland. And also the host Turkish Judo Federation had reason to rejoice.

Huge atmosphere on the third and last day of competition at the Judo Grand Slam in Antalya!

Great fight and sportsmanship was the trump card in the final of the weight class up to 100 kilograms. Austria’s Aaron Fara and Switzerland’s Daniel Eich were the two contenders for gold. Fara put Eich on the mat with a counterattack worth seeing and received the Ippon score. The award ceremony was conducted by the chairman of the World Judo Federation, Marius Vizer.

In the weight category up to 78 kilograms, Frenchwoman Audrey Tcheumeo won gold, defeating Olympic champion Hamada Shori. Referee director Armen Bagdasarov handed over the precious metal.

Van ‘t End took gold again

Dutchman Noël van ‘t End claimed his second Grand Slam victory of the year in Antalya – about a month after his success in Paris. The 2019 world champion won the final against Alex Cret of Romania and received the gold medal from the hands of Naser Al Tamimi, treasurer of the World Judo Federation.

“I was really hoping for the victory, because winning a gold medal is a great feeling. And the World Championships are already in four weeks. I’m in good shape, I’ve proven that twice now. Everything has to come together at the World Championships to win another gold medal,” said van ‘t End.

There was high spirits in the stands as Kayra Sayit of Turkey became a Grand Slam winner in the heavyweight division. She knocked out world champion Romane Dicko in the quarterfinals and then faced Milica Zabic of Serbia in the final. French-born Sayit won – much to the delight of the crowd. The chairman of the Turkish Judo Federation, Sezer Huysuz, presented the golden reward.

“This is always outstanding because we have a great audience. It gives us considerable momentum and good atmosphere. I am very happy to have won here in Turkey in front of the Turkish audience,” said Sayit.

In the super heavyweight division, Dutchman Jelle Snippe won the final against his countryman Roy Meyer. Olympic champion Hüseyin Özkan was responsible for the victory ceremony.

Two more medals for Turkey

The Turkish Judo Federation won two more medals on the final day, both in bronze: Ibrahim Tataroglu finished third in the heavyweights, and Hilal Öztürk stood on the podium in the women’s over 78 kilograms.

The next major judo event is already on the horizon: In just over a month, the World Championships will be held in Qatar.

By Thomas