Laura Fazliu faced the Japanese Takaichi, a four-time Masters champion, but this time she dominated the match and took the gold. At -81kg, 2021 world champion Matthias Casse made it through the preliminaries and reached the final in top form.
Budapest, Hungary, is a city known for its rich history and culture. But it is also the cradle of the sport, as evidenced by the Judo Masters this weekend.
Thousands of spectators have flocked to the Papp László Arena to see their heroes compete.
And the fans eagerly awaited the opening ceremony which included keynote addresses by IJF President Marius Vizer, Minister of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás and IJF Vice President László Tóth, who received the IJF 8th Dan from the IJF President.
In -63kg, Laura Fazliu swept her day, with an impressive judo that took her to her second Masters final.
One more time, she faced the Japanese Takaichi, a four-time Masters champion, but this time she dominated the match and took gold. The Kosovo team maintains its momentum.
The Minister of the Office of the Prime Minister of Hungary, Gergely Gulyás, presents the medals.
“I feel very happy, this medal is special. More than others in my collection. This motivates me for future competitions, I am very happy”, expressed Laura Fazliu.
At -73kg, former world champion Hashimoto Soichi was in top form and battled his way through to another Masters final. His rival was the Tajik Behruzi Khojazoda.
A tough fight with a close result by Hashimoto, who in the end took a tactical victory, an impressive 4th master gold!
The special guest of the IJF, Sheikh Dr. Talal AL-Fahad AL-SABAH, presented the medals.
At -70 kg, Sanne Van Dijke is a great thrower. But she is also her rival, the Greek Elisavet Teltsidou.
In the end, Teltsidou was about to score, but the Masters title went to Van Dijke after a tactical penalty.
The General Director and President of the MET Group, Benjamin LAKATOS, presents the medals.
In -81 kg, 2021 world champion Matthias Casse made it through the preliminaries and reached the final in top form.
In the final he scored an early waza-ari that he held out until the end to win his second Masters title.
Schmitt Pal, IJF Ambassador and IOC Honorary Member International Olympic Committee, presents the medals.
“Budapest is almost a sports capital, many competitions of many sports are held here. I usually fight well here, I won my world title here, now I have won the Masters so I would like to come back,” said Matthias Casse.
For the whole day, the young judokas were inspired by the Hungarian talents who showcased their skills in Budapest before the energetic local crowd.
Fans rose to their feet to cheer on their favourites, and athletes gave it their all. It was an unforgettable day for everyone involved in judo in Hungary.
Stay tuned tomorrow for more coverage of the Judo Masters in Budapest.
