Judoka Cheng Xunzhao showing his gold medal from the Paris Grand Slam. (Photo : Twitter)
China bagged its first ever gold in men's division of the Paris Grand Slam.
First Gold
Judoka Cheng Xunzhao grabbed top position on the podium after beating French Grand Slam silver medalist Axel Clerget in the men's 90-kg category, Xinhua reported. Cheng managed to throw Clerget during their finals match for an ippon, allowing him to clinch the victory.
Cheng also took down a heavy favorite, reigning world champion Gwak Donghan, in the semifinals. The 26-year-old pinned Gwak with a kami-shiho-gatame for 20 seconds to win their match. Gwak finished with a bronze in the competition.
Prior to the Grand Slam, Cheng had a great showing int the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where he won bronze and gave China its first ever Olympic medal in men's judo.
Other Grand Slam Victors
In other matches for the Grand Slam, Majinda Kelmendi of Kosovo grabbed her fourth consecutive gold medal in the women's under-52 kilogram category. Inside The Games reported. The Grand Slam veteran outclassed Japanese Natsumi Tsunoda in the finals bout to emerge at the top of the podium.
Kelmendi has also earlier made history for Kosovo when she bagged the country's first Olympic in the Rio Games last year.
The rising judo star's fellow Kosovan Distria Krasniqi also made a showing at the competition, bagging the bronze medal in the same category. Natalia Kiziutina of Russia won the other bronze medal for the event, beating the United States' Angelica Delgado.
Meanwhile, Slovenian Tina Trstenjak made a strong showing in the under-63 kg category, with her dominating local bet Clarisse Agbegnenou in the finals. Filipino Kiyomi Watanabe and French Margaux Pinot took home the bronze medals in the category after
Japanese judo stalwart Naohisa Takato also proved his mettle on the mat, securing gold in the men's under-60 kg category. Naohisa beat Sharafuddin Lutfillaev of Uzbekistan to get his third consecutive win in Paris.
