Szofi Ozbas surprises with Grand Slam winner in U70kg

The Grand Slam Baku final for women U70kg opposed Szofi Ozbas (HUN) and Serafima Moscalu (ROU). Ozbas was the first in action, with a seoi-otoshi for waza-ari. She was close to being strangled in the follow up of her movement, but she resisted. She then scored time for yuko and concluded in the floor for ippon. Amazing performance in an new category, same effort but other category for Jessica Klimkait who stepped up one division.

The first contest for a bronze medal saw Shiho Tanaka (JPN) and Giorgia Stangherlin (ITA) face off. With a scored earned early during the contest, Shiho Tanaka secured the bronze medal.

Lara Cvjetko (CRO) and Sanne Vermeer (NED) took to the mat for the second bronze medal. An early yuko with o-soto-gari from Lara Cvjetko offered her the victory and a seventh medal in a grand slam.

With her world number three ranking and her Olympic silver medal in Paris last summer, Miriam Butkereit (GER) was clearly the big favourite for the competition. An ippon scored against Alexia Castilhos (BRA) in just two minutes, a ko-soto-gari, showed that her position was not usurped. In the next round, the German found herself facing Sanne Vermeer (NED). World champion in the cadet category (2015) and then in the junior category (2018), not to mention a world bronze medal in the senior category, Vermeer is far from being an unknown.

It was one step too many for Miriam Butkereit today though, pinned down just as she was in the repechage against the Japanese judoka, Shiho Tanaka. For Sanne Vermeer, it was not a done deal because in the semi-final, she faced Szofi Ozbas (HUN), another defector from the lower category, who clearly feels very good at -70 kg. It was indeed Ozbas who won to reach the final.
In the second part of the draw, there was space for several athletes, but only one could join the Hungarian judoka to compete for the gold medal. Would it be Lara Cvjetko (CRO) or Aoife Coughlan (AUS)? Neither in fact, since we witnessed a surprise semi-final between Serafima Moscalu (ROU) and Giorgia Stangherlin (ITA), with a victory by powerful ura-nage for ippon for Moscalu.