Blandine Pont Seizes Astana Gold After Tight -52 kg Final

The women’s -52 kg category at the Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam delivered exactly the kind of tension that has defined the event in Astana. By the time the medal matches arrived, every exchange felt heavy with consequence, and the final was decided by one lapse and one calm finish.

For European fans, the biggest story came from Blandine Pont of France. In the gold medal contest against Khorloodoi Bishrelt of the UAE, neither athlete wanted to hand away an opening. The match developed carefully, with both judoka aware that a single mistake could shape the podium.

Shido built the pressure first. One came to each athlete, then a second to Bishrelt. Even so, the contest remained close until a key moment on the ground changed everything. Bishrelt stood up voluntarily from ne-waza while Pont held the kumi-kata advantage, and the French judoka reacted immediately, scoring yuko.

One ne-waza mistake decided the final.

With exactly a minute left, Pont still had work to do. Protecting a lead in a final is never simple, especially after such a cautious and tactical battle, but she stayed composed and saw out the remaining time without letting the match slip away.

That result gave Pont her fifth Grand Slam gold, another major step for a judoka who said she has pushed harder than ever since changing category last year and returning from a serious knee injury. After the final, she spoke openly about her pride in this season’s progress and made it clear that her ambitions stretch far beyond one day in Kazakhstan.

She also highlighted the atmosphere in Astana, saying the local support helped her on the tatami. It matched the feeling inside the arena, where the crowd had already seen a morning of dynamic throwing and strong ne-waza before the medal contests kept the energy going.

In the first bronze medal match, Nandin-Erdene Myagmarsuren of Mongolia took control against Gultaj Mammadaliyeva of Azerbaijan with a low O-uchi-gari. The attack earned yuko, and that single score stayed on the board until the end, securing another medal for Mongolia.

The second bronze contest brought the host crowd fully into the action as Meruyert Sarsenova of Kazakhstan faced Liliia Nugaeva of Russia. Sarsenova had strong support in the hall, but the match turned on a very fine exchange. Nugaeva attacked with a hook, Sarsenova tried to counter, but the action did not reverse strongly enough, and yuko was awarded to Nugaeva. It proved to be the only score.

So the -52 kg podium in Astana finished with Pont on top, Bishrelt in silver, and bronze medals for Myagmarsuren and Nugaeva. In a division shaped by fine margins, the clearest difference was Pont’s ability to punish the moment that mattered most.

Pont’s composure in the last minute sealed a big win for France.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation