Early Ippon, big Dutch boost: -78 kg thrills on the last day in Dushanbe

The lighter of the two women’s categories on the final day of the 2026 Dushanbe Grand Slam was -78 kg, and the storyline felt clear from the opening bouts. Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko looked like the athlete to beat all day, bringing the kind of control you expect from a 2022 world medallist.

In the final, Lytvynenko (UAE) came out fast. Right after “hajime” she started attacking, and even though the first effort didn’t score, the pressure kept rising on Yael Van Heemst (NED). For Van Heemst, simply being back on the World Judo Tour after a run of serious injuries was already a hard-earned moment.

The finish arrived quickly. At 1:18, Lytvynenko delivered Ippon with a huge hip throw that put Van Heemst flat on her back. It sealed Lytvynenko’s first Grand Slam gold in Dushanbe and marked her 10th World Judo Tour medal.

One clean throw ended the title match in just 78 seconds.

Europe still had plenty to celebrate, especially through the Netherlands. In the first bronze contest, Marit Kamps (NED) showed how well she’s settling into -78 kg after moving down from the heavyweights. Hongtao Wu (CHN) struck first with a yuko, but Kamps answered immediately by setting her distance and firing in a fast, powerful O-uchi-gari for Waza-ari.

From there, Kamps stayed upright and positive, protecting the score right to the final seconds. The reward was her first Grand Slam medal at -78 kg and her seventh overall.

The second bronze went to Alexandra Riabchenko (RUS) after a quieter, penalty-filled match with Maidelines Gorguet-Veranes (ROU). With both athletes picking up Shido early, the third penalty landed on the Romanian judoka, leaving Riabchenko relieved with her first Grand Slam medal.

Dutch judoka left Dushanbe with two podium moments in -78 kg.

Source: JudoInside