Second ever Grand Slam win for Korea U48kg by Lee Hyekyeong

The final for women U48 at the Grand Slam in Tbilisi was between Korean Hyekyeong Lee and Spanish Laura Espadinha. Both judoka had a great run-through and it was kind of difficult to make any prediction on who would be the winner. With their respective styles, Lee and Espadinha were totally opposed, Espadinha being right-handed and Lee left-handed. This produced a strange position but this is exactly what Lee used to propel the French judoka flat on her back with a powerful ura-nage mixed with a yoko-gake. It was well executed by Lee and a nice gold medal was her reward.

Spain had a medal chance thanks to Mireia Lapuerta Comas (ESP) who qualified to compete against Galiya Tynbayeva (KAZ) to complete the podium. To be honest, the Kazakh judoka was not the favourite but with a superb change of direction and a brilliant ko-soto-gake she threw her opponent flat on her back for ippon and a first medal in a grand slam. For Korea it was Grand Slam title number 51, only two in the category U48kg. BoKyeong Jeong won the Grand Slam in Paris in 2017.

Zongying Guo (CHN) and Khalimajon Kurbonova (UZB) had a chance to reach the podium in the first match for a bronze medal but as Kurbonova was unable to compete, the medal went to China and Zongying Guo.

The category was dispatched quickly; it was in the -48kg category that the poster for the final block was known first. After her beautiful bronze medal at the Paris Grand Slam 2024 in February and her equally beautiful European medal in 2023, Laura Martinez Abelenda (ESP) arrived in Tbilisi with the confidence in her ability this time to be able to dream of a more precious metal. Number one seed in the tournament, after a first round bye, she faced Brazilian Judo’s Amanda Lima, much lower ranked than her in the world ranking.

France expected a lot from Melanie Legoux Clément but it was ultimately her teammate, Laura Espadinha, who had the strongest effect, passing each round showing great determination and above all great technical and tactical mastery. Being one of the outsiders this morning, Espadinha did not tremble in front of anyone and took advantage of her reach to dominate the guard of each of her opponents.

The women's U48 final at the Grand Slam in Tbilisi featured Korean Hyekyeong Lee against Spanish Laura Espadinha. Both judokas displayed impressive performances throughout the tournament, making it difficult to predict the winner. Lee and Espadinha showcased contrasting styles, with Espadinha being right-handed and Lee left-handed. This resulted in an intriguing matchup, and Lee capitalized on her unique positioning to execute a powerful ura-nage combined with a yoko-gake, ultimately throwing her French opponent flat on her back for an ippon and securing the gold medal.

Spain had another medal opportunity thanks to Mireia Lapuerta Comas, who competed against Galiya Tynbayeva of Kazakhstan for a spot on the podium. Although Tynbayeva was not the favorite, she demonstrated superb technique with a decisive change of direction and a brilliant ko-soto-gake, resulting in an ippon and her first medal in a grand slam event.

In the bronze medal match, Zongying Guo of China faced Khalimajon Kurbonova of Uzbekistan, but Kurbonova was unable to compete, granting the medal to Guo.

The -48kg category saw Laura Martinez Abelenda of Spain, seeded number one in the tournament, facing off against Brazilian judoka Amanda Lima. Despite high expectations for Melanie Legoux Clément of France, it was her teammate Laura Espadinha who stole the spotlight, displaying determination and exceptional technical and tactical prowess to advance through each round. Despite being considered an outsider, Espadinha remained composed and utilized her reach advantage to dominate her opponents' guard effectively.