Super talent Momo Tamaoki wins first World Tour gold

Former world champion Udaka Nae from Japan was humbled by former Junior world champion and former Asian Championships winner Tamaoki Momo in the Budapest Grand Prix U57kg final on Saturday. The U57kg category is arguably Japan’s strongest and it was Tamaoki, 21, who won bronze in Budapest a year ago, who took the contest to her more accomplished opponent.

Neither judoka was able to penetrate the scoreboard but it was Tamaoki who prevailed on shido penalties with two against her name and three against Udaka.

The first bronze medal was convincingly won by five-time world medallist Telma Monteiro (POR) who scored three times against Warsaw European Open silver medallist Sappho Coban (GER). On her return from a knee injury, Portugal’s top judoka marked her first competition of 2016 with a place on the podium which came after a waza-ari and a yuko score gave the four-time world runner-up the platform to engage her opponent on the ground and Coban had to submit to a lightning quick juji-gatame.

The second bronze medal was won by Olympic bronze medallist Marti Malloy (USA) who saw off Zagreb Grand Prix bronze medallist Johanna Mueller (GER) after the latter received a shido in the scoreless contest while American ace and Rio-bound Malloy pitched an unblemished record.