Astana’s final prelim session delivers big throws, breakthrough runs and a German showdown

Astana’s last preliminary session brought exactly what heavyweight judo promises: power, pressure and a few moments that changed the whole direction of the day. Inside the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace, the final morning of competition set up a medal block packed with strong storylines across the heavier categories.

At -90 kg, Brazil took control early. Top seed Rafael Macedo and Guilherme Schimidt came through the same half of the draw and met in an all-Brazilian semi-final, guaranteeing their country a place in the gold medal match. It was Schimidt, the lower-ranked of the two, who came through on penalties, while Macedo still moved on to the final block.

There was also a major European moment in the category, even if it came with mixed emotions. Frank De Wit of the Netherlands, a world medallist and three-time Olympian, looked sharp on his way to the semi-finals. But teenager Boris Rutovic of Serbia produced the decisive twist, throwing from a level yuko score to win by Ippon and book his first World Judo Tour final.

Boris Rutovic turned a balanced semi-final into the biggest result of his World Judo Tour career.

The host crowd also had something to cheer at -90 kg. Kazakhstan’s Aidar Arapov impressed by knocking out fourth seed Egor Malkin and pushing his way into the medal fight. His run ended against Schimidt, but he still earned a place in the bronze medal contest, where he would meet De Wit.

At -78 kg, Germany owned the category from start to finish. Anna Monta Olek and Alina Boehm, the top two seeds, both advanced to the gold medal match without anyone seriously slowing them down. It was a powerful statement from two athletes who know their domestic rivalry could matter more and more as this Olympic cycle develops.

For Boehm, that internal battle is nothing new. She already experienced a fierce race on the road to Paris, and now Olek has moved ahead in the rankings. Their final in Astana was not only about gold, but also about momentum at an important point in the build-up toward Los Angeles.

The Dutch team came close to another all-European headline at -100 kg. Michael Korrel and Simeon Catharina were both in contention, with Catharina arriving in Astana after taking silver at the European Championships. But the final pairing slipped away, as Moldova’s Vadim Ghimbovschi and Kazakhstan’s Marat Baikamurov claimed the places in the title contest.

Catharina’s form still stands out. His season has already included fifth-place finishes in Paris and Tashkent, a bronze in Tbilisi and that European silver, and Astana added another final block appearance. He would now have to fight for bronze against top seed Leonardo Goncalves.

In +78 kg, Italy stayed involved through Tiziana Marini and Erica Simonetti. Marini reached her first final block and was set for a bronze medal match against Kazakhstan’s Aida Toishibekova. Simonetti, meanwhile, would face Adiyasuren Amarsaikhan after the Mongolian lost her semi-final to Elis Startseva.

At +100 kg, Europe’s clearest story came through Jakub Sordyl of Poland. Fresh from his victory in Dushanbe, the young heavyweight again showed energy and confidence throughout the session. His semi-final against Inal Tasoev proved too difficult, but Sordyl still left himself with a chance to fight for bronze and added another strong result to an already encouraging stretch.

Germany’s -78 kg final was one of the clearest signs of control on day three.

By the end of the preliminaries, Astana had produced exactly the kind of tension a last World Judo Tour stop before Olympic qualification should bring: established names holding firm, younger athletes breaking through, and several European judoka still right in the middle of the medal fight.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation