Day two of the first Judo Grand Prix in Portugal was the day of some young judoka, who were competing in such a big competition for the first time.
The young Dutch woman Joanne Van Lieshout had a fantastic start. With lightning-fast footwork, the 19-year-old won her first Grand Prix gold ever.
In the weight class up to 73kg, the Uzbeks showed their skills. Murodjon Yuldoshev scored a fantastic ippon against Spaniard Cases Roca It was also his first Grand Prix gold for the young Uzbek.
Thanks to better tactics, the young Croatian won Lara Cvjetko in women under 70kg over the Hungarian Szabina Gercsak. For Croatia it was the first judo gold of the year.
Their victory propelled Croatia to the top of the medal table.
Our man of the day is the reigning world champion Matthias Casse from Belgium. His way to the final was characterized by very dynamic judo. There he met the Oskari Makinen. He finally laid the Finn with one throw. With the sovereign performance typical of Casse, he won his first Grand Prix gold this year.
The Portuguese judo legend and multiple European champion in the weight class up to 57 kg Telma Monteiro comes from Almada, the venue of the Grand Prix.
Mayor Inês de Medeiros honored Telma Monteiro for her remarkable sporting career which has brought Almada and Portugal worldwide attention in the judo community. The home crowd celebrated Monteiro for this and crowned the second day of the Grand Prix.
