Lucy Renshall picks up the golden path to glory in Portugal

Saturday was the day of Lucy Renshall (GBR), winner of two World Judo Tour events in 2023 (GS Tbilisi and GP Zagreb) and who starts in 2024 at a high pace already at the Grand Prix in Portugal. It was her seond Grand Prix win in her career after Zagreb last year.

In the final against Katharina Haecker of Australia, the first attack after 25 seconds drove Renshall to roll on her back with a ko-uchi-gari for waza-ari. There was still plenty of time, but everything was still possible. Then a totally different ballgame started, a tactical one, which was won by the British judoka. She pushed her opponent to be penalised twice. She received also her share of shido, but in the end, a last step out of the tatami cost Katharina Haecker the gold medal. In judo, even if you lead the contest, nothing is ever over. Lucy Renshall knew that perfectly and she did it.

With a fourth place in the world ranking, Haecker demonstrates consistency and regularity in each of her appearances on the World Judo Tour. Not always a winner but often placed, she accumulates points and above all experience, experience which undoubtedly served her well today to reach the final.

However, things were not easy at the start of the day, since it took 5:37 of golden score for Haecker to finally find an opportunity to throw her opponent, Dali Liluashvili (AIN), with a super powerful te-waza. Subsequently, the Australian judoka collected waza-ari, two against Zulhumar Dashkinov (TKM), two again against Dena Pohl (GER), and one against Barbara Timo (POR), who hoped for better than a possible bronze medal in front of her public.

Inbal Shemesh (ISR) and Eter Askilashvili (GEO) faced each other for the first bronze medal. Being 92 in the world ranking, Eter Askilashvili is not the most known female judoka from Georgia and it's good to see her reaching the final block of a WJT event. There is a new generation of athletes coming from Tbilisi and that is very positive. The first waza-ari came from Shemesh though with a brilliant and surprising yoko-gake. This was enough to secure the bronze medal for Israel.

At the bottom of the draw, we found Szofi Ozbas (HUN) and Barbara Timo (POR), on course to win the host country's first medal. The task promised to be arduous and it didn't start in the best way for Timo, who was thrown with a really low and rolling seoi-otoshi for waza-ari. Unfortunately for Timo and Portugal, Szofi Ozbas doubled the score a little later, ruining the medal hopes of the host country; bronze medal for Szofi Ozbas.