Europe Owns the Opening Day in Astana with Three Women’s Golds

Europe’s lightweight judoka came out flying at the Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam 2026, and day one in Astana quickly turned into a strong statement on the women’s side. All three women’s gold medals went to European athletes, with the Netherlands, France and France again finishing on top.

The first big moment came in the women’s -48kg category, where Amber Gersjes produced one of the standout wins of the day. The Dutch judoka had taken her first Grand Slam medal just a week earlier, but this time she went further and claimed her first Grand Slam gold.

Her final against Mongolia’s Narantsetseg Ganbaatar looked especially tough on paper, with Ganbaatar holding a 3-0 head-to-head advantage. Gersjes stayed sharp, dealt with several familiar attacks, and found her opening late in the contest with de-ashi-harai for yuko. It was a breakthrough result, and her reaction after stepping off the tatami showed exactly how much it meant.

Amber Gersjes turned last week’s momentum into a first Grand Slam title.

There was more European success in the same category. Italy’s Francesca Milani opened the medal matches by taking bronze against Chen-Hao Lin of Chinese Taipei, while Russia’s Kristina Dudina secured the second bronze with two Waza-ari against Azerbaijan’s Shafag Hamidova. For Dudina, it was a second Grand Slam podium, and once again it came in Kazakhstan.

France then added another gold through Blandine Pont in the women’s -52kg division. Pont beat Khorloodoi Bishrelt of the UAE by yuko in the final, earning her second Grand Slam title at -52kg and the fifth Grand Slam gold of her career. After winning earlier this year in Tbilisi, she now has another important result to build on.

Pont’s recent run also carries extra weight given her comeback story. She said she has worked harder than ever since changing category last year and returning from a major knee injury, and that determination was visible again in Astana.

The women’s -57kg division rounded off a superb day for Europe with an almost all-European podium. France guaranteed gold with an all-French final, where Faiza Mokdar defeated Chloe Devictor. It was Mokdar’s second title in Kazakhstan, another reminder that Astana has become a happy hunting ground for her.

The Netherlands added one more medal in the category as Shannon Van de Meeberg took bronze, helping complete a very successful day for the Dutch team. Between Gersjes’ gold and Van de Meeberg’s podium finish, the Netherlands left a clear mark on the opening session.

France and the Netherlands set the pace in the women’s events.

There were no European medals in the men’s -60kg category, but Europe still reached the podium at -66kg. Russia’s Saigid Kerimov finished with silver, while Ramazan Abdulaev claimed bronze.

By the end of day one, the pattern was hard to miss. Europe did not just collect medals in Astana; in the women’s categories, it controlled the top of the podium. With three golds, several extra medal finishes and a few emotional breakthrough performances, it was the kind of opening day that gives a team real energy for the rest of the weekend.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union