Late pressure decides -63 kg final as Haruka Kaju edges Joanne Van Lieshout in Mongolia

Haruka Kaju of Japan took the -63 kg gold at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam after a tense final against Joanne Van Lieshout of the Netherlands. In a contest that stayed close deep into the match, the result was decided by penalties as Van Lieshout received a third Shido with less than twenty seconds left.

The day had started with major attention on Mongolia’s Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo, the top seed and one of the home crowd’s biggest medal hopes. Her run, however, was stopped in the quarter-final by Lubjana Piovesana of Austria. Piovesana stayed composed under pressure and eventually found Waza-ari in golden score to knock out the local favourite.

That result gave the category an early twist, but Piovesana still had a huge task ahead. In the semi-final she met 2024 world champion Joanne Van Lieshout, and the Dutch judoka showed why she remains one of the division’s reference points. Van Lieshout scored Ippon to end Piovesana’s strong run and book another grand slam final.

On the other side of the draw, Kaju moved through the preliminary rounds with authority to reach the gold medal match. With the world number one already out, the final brought together two of the category’s leading names, and it felt like exactly that on the tatami. Neither athlete gave much away early, and the match developed into a careful, balanced battle.

The key tension came when the action moved into ne-waza, where Kaju began to apply more pressure. Van Lieshout resisted on the ground and also held firm in the standing exchanges, but she could not fully shift the momentum back in her favour. As the clock ran down, the pressure built through penalties, and the third Shido sealed the result for Kaju.

The win delivered Kaju’s fourth grand slam title and Japan’s fifth gold medal in Mongolia. After the final, she said she was happy to show the standing techniques she has been working on rather than relying only on groundwork. She also pointed to the world championships as her next major target and said there is still room to improve after being unable to finish the final completely in ne-waza.

Joanne Van Lieshout pushed the final all the way to the closing seconds.

Kaju also spoke warmly about competing in Mongolia, saying the reception from the crowd had been special despite her not being the home athlete. That added a human touch to a final that was defined by control, patience and small margins.

There was also a European highlight in the bronze medal contests. Piovesana came back from her semi-final defeat to claim a place on the podium for Austria, defeating Germany’s Sara-Joy Bauer with Waza-ari in ne-waza after an active contest full of attacks and transitions.

In the other bronze medal match, Dali Liluashvili of Russia defeated Lkhagvatogoo in golden score after the Mongolian received a third Shido. For the home fans, it was a painful ending. For Europe, Van Lieshout’s silver and Piovesana’s bronze ensured the continent had a strong presence in one of the tournament’s most competitive weight classes.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation