Esposito and Osmanov shine in Linz

The judo family welcomes you back for day two of the Upper Austria Judo Grand Prix!

Transcript

00:00 The Judo family welcomes you back for day two of the Upper Austria Judo Grand Prix.

00:06 We`re delighted to be here in Linz, the beautiful capital of this amazing region, which is known

00:11 for its stunning landscapes and rich culture.

00:14 Before the action, Franz Haugeneder, former president of the Austrian Judo Federation,

00:18 was honored for contributing greatly to the development of Judo.

00:22 In the under 63 kilo class world number 11, Joanne van Lishout showed excellent tenacity

00:27 to chase her opponents, Agata Schmid, to the floor and pin her foot upon.

00:32 Her second Grand Prix gold medal, an impressive result for the young judoka.

00:36 The Austrian crowd cheered for the Dutch athlete.

00:40 IJF coordinator for international refereeing seminars, Juan Carlos Bacos, awarded the medals.

00:49 It`s really great.

00:51 There are a lot of people, a lot of children and they like Judo.

00:56 So, it`s really nice and they are shouting and so it`s really nice to be here.

01:03 In the under 73 kilo category, two medalists from last year`s Grand Prix here in Upper

01:08 Austria once again would compete for medals in Linz.

01:11 It was Moldova`s Adil Osmanov who managed two Wazari scores to upgrade from last year`s

01:15 bronze to his first gold on the world Judo tour, whilst Rashid Mamadaliyev of Azerbaijan

01:21 had to once again settle for the silver, but Judo values were on display from both athletes.

01:26 IJF education and coaching director, Moamin Miridja, awarded the medals.

01:36 Today was very difficult, yes, because I fight with my -- I am half Azerbaijan and my opponent

01:44 was also Azerbaijan.

01:46 But beside the competition, we are friends, good friends, but this fight was psychology

01:53 difficult.

01:54 In the under 70 kilo class, it was Maria Perez, last year`s Upper Austria Grand Prix winner,

01:59 who made it to the final again.

02:01 In a tough battle with newcomer, Irene Pedrotti, Perez used a perfectly timed foot sweep to

02:06 end the golden score with a pon.

02:08 A fantastic moment of Judo, which the crowd loved.

02:11 The medals were awarded by Austrian Judo Federation president, Martin Poiga.

02:28 Italy`s Antonio Sposito produced an absolute buzzer beater to stun Pavel Drizimol in the

02:34 dying seconds of their final contest in the under 81 kilo class.

02:38 Harvest Group CEO, Almaz Alsonov, presented an emotional Esposito his gold medal.

02:48 The local crowd were treated to some amazing displays of Judo skill.

02:52 The home Judo produced an array of masterful le pons.

02:55 And that`s it for day two in the wonderful city of Linz.

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