Judo, Grand Slam in Tel Aviv: Milani silver, bronze for Giuffrida

At the first race after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Francesca Milani and Odette Giuffrida hit the podium in the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv, winning respectively the silver in the 48 kg and the bronze in the 52 kg. Lucid, essential, effective, Francesca lined up respectable opponents, stopping only in the final, Odette, eager to celebrate her new role as Italian captain, did not fail to demonstrate great physical and mental strength.

THE RACE

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Lucid, essential, effective, Francesca has lined up highly respected opponents: the Israeli Tamar Malca and the two Serbs Andrea Stojadinov and Milica Nikolic. Not a mistake, nor a smudge. She took it behind the neck to close and then attack from afar with her long legs. Average duration of the meetings two minutes or so. In the final, the French Shirine Boukli, number 2 in the world ranking, was more cunning and then scored the winning wazari. Odette Giuffrida has once again shown great heart and exceptional ability to always find the mental top when needed. His race is anything but simple: first the angular Cuban Melissa Hurtado Munoz, overtaken by wazari, then the Japanese Ryoko Takeda, who in the golden score forced the blue to surrender for a lever in the arm that put that too in crisis her “fragile” shoulder which over the years has given her many problems. Odette did not flinch and she got back on the mat with all the reasons intact, to the point of placing two ippons, both at the golden score. To collect them were the Polish Aleksandra Kaleta and, in the final for the bronze, the Israeli Gefen Primo, number 6 in the world ranking.

THE OTHER BLUES

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Good path also for Miriam Boi, who passed the first round of 57 kg on the Israeli Maya Leopold, then was stopped by the strong Georgian Eteri Liparteliani. Assunta Scutto in 48 kg, Biagio D’Angelo and Angelo Pantano in 60 kg also fought best, but they did not overcome the Mongols Bavuudori (48) and Tsogt-Ochir Byambajav and the French Cedric Revol respectively. Tomorrow in the race Giovanni Esposito in 73 kg and Nadia Simeoli in 63 kg with live broadcast from 4 pm on Sky Sport Arena (channel 204).