Sulamanidze Claims -100 kg World Gold After Crucial Review

Ilia Sulamanidze of Georgia captured the -100 kg world title after a tight, tactical final against Japan’s Dota Arai in Baku. The Georgian judoka prevailed in a contest where one reviewed exchange ultimately separated the two finalists.

The -100 kg category brought together a deep field on day six at the National Gymnastics Arena, with world, continental and Olympic medallists all in contention. Sulamanidze and Arai entered the final with previous history: they had met twice before the World Championships, with Sulamanidze winning both contests.

Their latest meeting was difficult to call from the opening exchanges. Both athletes created action, but neither gave away much in a technical battle that demanded patience and control. The key moment came when an attack from Arai initially appeared to produce a score.

After video review, however, the action was judged differently. Arai had not finished with control, while Sulamanidze had driven his opponent onto one hip. The yuko was awarded to the Georgian, giving him the decisive advantage.

A video review delivered the pivotal yuko in the -100 kg final.

Sulamanidze’s reaction showed what the result meant after a long wait for the biggest title in senior judo. He left Baku as world champion, with Arai taking silver.

There was a major milestone in the first bronze-medal contest as Niiaz Bilalov defeated fellow Russian Arman Adamian. Bilalov, 32, had been collecting results on the global senior circuit since 2014 and earned his first senior milestone medal by countering one of Adamian’s attacks for a yuko.

Italy’s Gennaro Pirelli also secured bronze, adding a first senior world medal to his growing collection. Facing Uzbekistan’s Tulkinbek Turdiev, Pirelli was down two penalties to one before creating space for a neat ko-uchi-gari and scoring a yuko.

Pirelli still had to manage significant pressure and avoid a third penalty during the remaining time. He did exactly that, holding on to the score and delivering a European medal-winning performance in Baku.

The final standings placed Sulamanidze first, Arai second, and Bilalov and Pirelli on the bronze-medal step. Anton Savytskiy of Ukraine and Simeon Catharina of the Netherlands finished seventh.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation