Late Drama and a Breakout Bronze Shape the -63 kg Medal Day

The -63 kg category brought exactly the kind of tension its line-up promised. With several proven medal contenders in the draw, the final session felt wide open, and the biggest moments came from very different directions: a penalty-filled gold medal match and a fearless bronze-medal run from Germany’s Sara-Joy Bauer.

In the final, Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo of Mongolia faced Dali Liluashvili of Russia. Lkhagvatogoo came in as a twice world bronze medallist and looked set on leaving Kazakhstan with more than another place on the podium. But the match did not begin the way she would have wanted.

Liluashvili applied pressure from the start and forced a fierce kumi-kata battle. She then found the first score with a yuko, putting Lkhagvatogoo behind and raising the intensity even more. From there, the contest shifted into a test of control, urgency and discipline.

Lkhagvatogoo stayed composed and kept pushing forward, knowing the athlete in front would have to manage the lead under growing pressure. That became the turning point. Liluashvili defended too heavily and, without adding further attacks, saw the Shido count rise until the third penalty arrived with only four seconds left.

The gold was decided in the final seconds.

It meant gold for Lkhagvatogoo, who had to recover after conceding the first score and then trust her pressure until the very end. After the contest, she said she had mixed feelings after winning the Asian Games and then finishing second in Dushanbe, adding that she was determined to come back and take the title in Kazakhstan.

For European fans, the other standout story came in the bronze medal contests. Joanne Van Lieshout of the Netherlands, the 2024 world champion, met Olympic and double world champion Rafaela Silva of Brazil. Their match was active early, but the key score came when Silva reacted first in transition and used ko-uchi-gake for yuko. Van Lieshout finished fifth.

The biggest European highlight, though, belonged to Germany. Sara-Joy Bauer, competing in a World Junior Tour final block for the first time, was up against world medallist Gankhaich Bold of Mongolia. On paper, it looked like a daunting challenge. On the tatami, Bauer turned it into a statement.

She opened with an o-uchi-gari for Waza-ari in the very first exchange. Bold tried to respond and later attacked with O-soto-gari, but Bauer adjusted brilliantly, stepping back on her support leg and countering with a huge O-soto-gaeshi. It was a performance full of confidence and timing, and it earned her the bronze medal in one of the toughest categories of the day.

Sara-Joy Bauer delivered one of the surprises of the final block.

Final standings in the category saw Lkhagvatogoo take gold, Liluashvili silver, and bronze medals for Silva and Bauer. In a field packed with experience, the -63 kg event still found room for late heartbreak, resilience under pressure, and one memorable European breakthrough.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation