European heavyweights light up final day at Tashkent Grand Slam

The closing day of the OTP Group Tashkent Grand Slam 2026 turned into a showcase for Europe’s judoka. They collected ten medals on Sunday alone, including three titles, to eat into Japan’s lead on the overall table. By the end of the weekend, Europe stood on four gold, one silver and two bronze, while hosts Uzbekistan held on to third place in the standings.

Europe came alive when it mattered most on day three.

The -90kg final brought a big-name clash between double Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri and Murad Fatiyev. Bekauri picked up an early shido for passivity and, in a messy exchange, Fatiyev spotted his chance, steering the Georgian to the tatami for waza-ari. He then added a yuko, putting Bekauri under real pressure. The Georgian pushed hard in the final minute, but Fatiyev stayed composed, managed the tempo and closed out a surprise gold for Azerbaijan.

At -78kg, Europe guaranteed another title with an all-European final between Anna Monta Olek and Kaila Issoufi. Issoufi’s plan was simple and ruthless: lock down Olek’s sleeve, kill off the German’s strong maki-komi, and wait for the counter. It worked perfectly. She first scored yuko, then produced a sharp counter for waza-ari that almost brought ippon, before flowing straight into ne-waza, securing a hold and finishing with an armlock sequence for ippon and her first Grand Slam gold.

Behind them, Aleksandra Babintseva added -78kg bronze with a dominant performance against Karol Gimenes, racking up two early yuko and sealing the win with a hold-down for ippon. In the -100kg category, Olympic champion Zelym Kotsoiev had to settle for bronze, but it meant something after a tough day. Adam Sangariev gave him very little to work with, yet in the dying seconds Kotsoiev finally timed a powerful maki-komi to score ippon and secure the podium.

Late ippon scores became Europe’s trademark in Tashkent.

In the +78kg division, Lea Fontaine was Europe’s lone medal winner. She charged through three contests to reach the final against Akira Sone, setting up a fascinating style clash. Sone responded with restless, mobile judo, constantly adjusting her footwork to break Fontaine’s balance and rhythm. Eventually she created the opening she wanted, hitting o-uchi-gari for a decisive yuko and then calmly managing the clock to add another Grand Slam title to her collection, leaving France with silver.

The +100kg category was heavily European, with three of four medals going to the continent. Mikita Sviryd defeated Bislam Katamardov for bronze with two big scores, first waza-ari and then yuko, earning his first Grand Slam medal. Dzhamal Gamzatkhanov took the second bronze after Yerassyl Kazhybayev was unable to compete. The final turned into a drama for the home fans as Alisher Yusupov threw everything at Kanan Nasibov. Once the bout moved into golden score, Nasibov found his moment, locking in a hold-down to take gold and silence the packed arena.

For Europe, it was the ideal finish to a weekend that started slowly but ended with real impact. The momentum now rolls straight into the next IJF World Tour stop, the Upper Austrian Grand Prix from 6–8 March 2026.

Source: EJU_News