Assunta Scutto and Odette Guiffrida won gold for the Italian Judo Association on the first day of competition at the Judo Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam is on! 450 judokas from 77 countries are competing for a total of 14 sets of medals.

Assunta Scutto took the victory in the 48-kilogram weight class. The world number one from Italy faced off against Turkey’s Sila Ersin in the final and came out on top. Scutto has already won the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in 2021.

Marius Vizer, the president of the International Judo Federation, presented the medals.

There was a French victory in the men’s up to 60 kilograms. Cédric Revol is 29 years old, but he had not yet won a Grand Slam. The Hungarian IOC member Balazs Fürjes was in charge of the award ceremony.

“This is my first title. I’ve already won two medals here before, I like it here. Four participations, three medals, one of which is gold. This is the right place for me, maybe I’ll spend my next vacation here,” said the Frenchman.

Guiffrida has fond memories of Abu Dhabi

Odette Guiffrida completed the Italian one-two in Abu Dhabi. She was unbeatable in the 52-kilogram weight category. The Deputy Chairman of the International Judo Federation, Obaid Al Anzi, presented the Italian with the medal.

“I like it here. It’s very hot outside – perfect for keeping my weight down. I have really good memories of Abu Dhabi. It was my third medal here. I hope there will be more. We’ll see,” said Giuffrida.

Vascha Margvelashvili of Georgia had to go into overtime in the final of the 66-kilogram weight class, where he was awarded a waza-ari score.

The medals were presented by the chairman of the United Arab Emirates Judo Association, Mohammed Bin Thaaloob Alderei.

57 kilograms: Canadians among themselves

The final in the women’s 57-kilogram category was an all-Canadian affair: Jessica Klimkait and Christa Deguchi fought a battle to the death. Klimkait came out on top.

Jabr Al Suwaidi, Minister of State of the host country, presented the winner with the gold medal.

Narmandach Bayanmunch from the United Arab Emirates won bronze on the first day of the Grand Slam, much to the delight of the local judo fans.