Gold for Nishiyama Daiki offers Inoue luxury

We’re getting used to the extreme luxury of Japanese judo coach Kosei Inoue. Who should he pick for the Olympic Games. The answer will be unveiled in April at the All Japan Championships. Nishiyama Daiki candidate himself strongly today. A superb attempt knowing that Baker Mashu is ranked in the top 3 and already won World bronze last year.

The first attack of the final came from Frenchman Alexandre Iddir, who engaged a strong standing sode-tsuri-komi-goshi, that was blocked by 2011 Paris winner Nishiyama Daiki. Nishiyama who was in that year World silver medallist didn't qualify for London 2012 where Nishiyama Masashi was the chosen anc captured bronze. After the first attack by Iddir then the Japanese scored a yuko with a spectacular koshi-waza technique. Still the French looked more dangerous on all of his attempts to throw Nishiyama. It is after what looked like a tame attack that the Japanese immediately followed on the floor to catch Iddir with a shime-waza, from which the French did not have another option than rolling on the other side, giving the opportunity to Nishiyama to catch him with a prefect immobilisation for ippon.

In the first semi-final Nishiyama bested former Madrid World Cup winner Ludovic Gobert (FRA) on shido penalties while in the second semi-final Havana Grand Prix bronze medallist Ciril Grossklaus (SUI) was undone by Alexandre Iddir who won by a yuko score having seen off Liparteliani (GEO) in the quarter-finals with one of the ippons of the tournament from an incredible ippon seoi-nage.

The first bronze medal was won by world champion Gwak Dong Han (KOR) salvaged an important place on the podium as he scored with a drop seoi-nage for waza-ari against the ever-improving Grossklaus. Gwak just had too much for the Swiss fighter who is becoming a consistent medal contender on the IJF World Judo Tour and both judoka could be in contention at Rio 2016.                     

Varlam Liparteliani did not come for the bronze in Paris but after his last second defeat against Alexandre Iddir, he had to face a second French fighter, Ludovic Gobert, for a medal. Dominated by the strong grip of Gobert, Liparteliani, was the first one to put his opponent in danger though and the Georgian eventually scored a first waza-ari, which was followed by an impressive ground work session, which ended with a matte of the referee. Looking exhausted, Liparteliani had more and more difficulties to stop Gobert’s attempts to come back, and he was penalised several times. But at the end, it was written that the World Number Two would step on the podium for a seventh time on the occasion of a Grand Slam.