Outsider Artem Bloshenko gives Ukraine Olympic medal hope

At the Olympic Games it’s not always how good you are, what skills you have, but how you perform under pressure, the form of the day and your guts to take any risk, or not at the right moment. Artem Bloshenko of the Ukraine had the form of the day at the Grand Prix in Havana giving the Ukraine some medal hope U100kg, why not.

The world number one and winner of the World Judo Masters in 2015 was the ultimate favourite of the category. After a first fight won against Hu Kai from China, Elmar Gasimov (AZE) was facing Kazbek Zankishiev (RUS), who was not among the favourites but the Russian was not afraid by the prize list of his famous opponent and defeated him by ippon before being defeated himself by future finalist Artem Bloshenko. The Ukrainian found on his way to the title, another gold medal hopeful as world number 5 and world silver medallist, Karl-Richard Frey of Germany also qualified for the final.

The final started as a battle of strong men and quickly gave the feeling that it would not run until the end. Frey was penalised two times for a gripping error before Bloshenko unbalanced him with a ko-soto-gari for ippon. In a category which is still very open, and with his last win on the occasion of a Grand Prix being back in 2014 at the Tbilisi Grand Prix, Bloshenko will score some important points for the Olympic qualification.

Today was definitely a good day for team Hungary as Cirjenics Miklos (HUN) qualified for the first bronze medal fight against Adlan Bisultanov (RUS). Multiplying the small mistakes, Bisultanov was penalised with three shido, while Cirjenics only got one, the Hungarian adding one more medal to his delegation’s prize list, which was impressive on that last day of competition in Havana.

The second bronze medal of the category was decided between 2013 World Champion and the Emirati athlete, Ivan Remarenco. But Mammadov rapidly broke Remarenco’s hopes for a medal and with a powerful soto-makikomi, powered his opponent into the tatami for ippon.