Late yuko and ko-soto-gake decide -60 kg gold in Astana

The -60 kg final at the 2026 Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam looked set up for a huge home celebration, but Sukhbat Byambasuren of Mongolia had other plans.

Facing Kazakhstan’s Talgat Orynbassar in front of a loud local crowd, Byambasuren came through a fast, committed final to take gold. It was a match full of energy from both sides, with Orynbassar carrying the hopes of the host nation on day one and still managing to attack with confidence from the opening exchanges.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was in the arena for the final block, adding even more weight to the moment. Orynbassar handled that pressure impressively, bringing dynamic judo and giving the crowd every reason to believe the anthem might come.

But Byambasuren matched him attack for attack. Neither athlete found a score early, and with the final minute approaching the contest was still balanced. Then came the key shift: Byambasuren created the space he needed and took a yuko.

One opening was enough to change the whole final.

With time running short, Orynbassar had little choice but to force the action. He entered a full-contact 50/50 situation in search of a way back, but Byambasuren was ready. The Mongolian caught the moment with ko-soto-gake and finished for Ippon, silencing the dream ending for the home fans.

It was a dramatic finish to a final that had felt alive from the first exchange. Kazakhstan still had a finalist to celebrate, but the top place on the podium belonged to Mongolia.

Afterwards, Byambasuren said winning in Astana mattered to him, especially with Ulaanbaatar ahead as one of his biggest events of the year. He also pointed to the work done in practice as the source of his confidence, saying that despite the strong support for the Kazakh side, he trusted his own judo.

The first bronze medal was decided without a contest. Magzhan Shamshadin of Kazakhstan was unable to compete because of injury, so Sherzod Davlatov stepped forward, bowed respectfully and received the medal.

There was also European interest in the second bronze-medal contest, where France’s Enzo Jean faced Yung-Wei Yang of Chinese Taipei. Jean started sharply and even threatened in the opening exchange, but after a referee supervisors’ review confirmed there was no score, the momentum shifted.

Yang grew into the contest, linking techniques and taking control of the space. He eventually scored Waza-ari with sumi-gaeshi after setting it up with ko-uchi-gari, and that proved decisive. Jean was left just outside the medals in fifth place.

The final standings at -60 kg were led by Byambasuren in first, Orynbassar in second, and bronze medals for Davlatov and Yang. Andrea Carlino of Italy also appeared in the final ranking, finishing seventh.

Astana pushed for a home triumph, but Byambasuren held firm when it mattered most.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation