First Grand Prix crown for Nikoloz Sherazadishvili

Spanish Nikoloz Sherazadishvili recorded the best result of his young career as he defeated Bucharest European Open winner Tural Safguliyev (AZE) in the U90kg final to claim his first Grand Prix gold medal. Abu Dhabi Grand Slam bronze medallist Safguliyev, 26, led by a waza-ari before Tbilisi-born Sherazadishvili pulled level with a waza-ari score of his own on the edge of the area and pinned down the Azeri with a modified yoko-shiho-gatame for ippon.

In the first semi-final Former Tbilisi Grand Prix bronze medallist Sherazadishvili defeated Pan American Championships winner Ivan Felipe Silva Morales (CUB) by a waza-ari score. In the second semi-final Miami Grand Prix bronze medallist Colton Brown (USA) lost out to Safguliyev by a waza-ari score after a nervy four minutes as both men tentatively tried to plot a way into the final.

The first bronze medal was awarded to Abu Dhabi Grand Slam bronze medallist Nemanja Majdov (SRB) who beat Brown by two waza-ari scores. The 20-year-old Serbian judoka won his first Grand Prix medal by opening the scoring with a waza-ari from a uchi-mata-sukashi and added a second from a modified kata-guruma as Brown failed to find a way back into the contest.

The second bronze medal went to Silva Morales after Rome European Open bronze medallist Zachary Burt (CAN) was disqualified after a minute of golden score following his third shido. Silva Morales was not at his best today but earned his first IJF medal at this weight which he moved to after the Olympics and is capable of anything at the Worlds in August.