Tiny Japanese Nina Kuboi takes opening gold in Zagreb

Nina Kuboi propelled Japan to the top of the medal table after the first final of the Judo World Junior Championships in Zagreb and may retain control of the medal table for the remainder of the week. Kuboi, 16, was one of the youngest judoka in the competition, but in typical Japanese fashion, age and experience rarely comes into the equation when the talent is such that any medal and any competition is deemed winnable to all Japanese.

Kuboi executed a beautiful turnover to pin down her Kazakh opponent but Abiba Abuzhakynova (KAZ) escaped having given away a waza-ari score. The Japanese judoka matched the outcome of the Junior Asian Championships final by showing her superiority to her leading rival by returning to osaekomi for 20 seconds as Abuzhakynova tried everything to escape but Kuboi maintained a vice-like grip this time around.

In the first semi-final Abuzhakynova (KAZ) defeated Cadet Pan American champion and Junior Pan American champion Laura Ferreira (BRA) by a waza-ari score with a makikomi effort. In the second semi-final Kuboi held down Junior Asian Championships silver medallist Gulnur Muratbaeva (UZB) for ippon to storm into the final of the lightest weight category in the competition.

The first bronze medal was awarded to Junior European Championships silver medallist Lois Petit (BEL) who held down Muratbaeva with a sankaku-gatame. The Belgian judo became the first medallist in the competition by showing her prowess in osaekomi-waza and, after being awarded the contest, sprinted off the mat into the arms of her coach in celebration.

The second bronze medal was won by Junior European Championships bronze medallist Kristina Bulgakova (RUS) over Ferreira. Russia’s Bulgakova led by a waza-ari with 17 seconds left but was not content with that leading margin and threw for ippon to round off a fine display.

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