Lee Moon Jin gets first Grand Slam gold in Abu Dhabi

Lee Moon Jin gets first Grand Slam gold in Abu Dhabi
By Angela Barnes
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Lee Moon Jin victorious at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam with first gold.

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Slovenia’s Olympic Champion Tina Trstenjak was the woman of the day on day 2 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam – flying through the preliminary rounds she took on multiple Pan American Champion Maylín Del Toro Carvajal, and secured a decisive hold-down, to take her 5th Grand Slam Gold medal.

Mr Eisa Hilal Az-Hazami, Secretary General of the Sharjah Sports Council, Government of Sharjah, awarded Trstenjak her medal.

"It’s not easy, maybe just looks easy. When there is the opportunity, I just do it, you know. Sometimes I can’t, but here there was an opportunity, and I’m glad I could do it" Trstenjak said.

Bilal Çiloğlu took on Canada’s Arthur Margelidon in the 73kg final, and clinched it with less than 30 seconds to go, with a driving Kouchi Gake. Changing direction, he wrapped up his opponent’s legs and drove him over to claim Turkey’s first Grand Slam Gold in 6 years.

He was awarded his medals by Mr Victor Huszár, Vice President of International Teqball Federation

"I felt comfortable for the first technique, but my opponent knows my attacks, so I have to change to attack on my weaker side – it was a nice technique for me, especially considering it was in the last seconds of the contest, because of this Waza-ari it really opened up the last part of the contest, and it felt absolutely fantastic," Çiloğlu said.

At 70kg it was an all Dutch final, and it was multiple European Champion Kim Polling who took the victory over her teammate Sanne Van Dijke with a spectacular Osoto.

Mr Radu Budeanu, guest of the International Judo Federation, awarded Polling her medal.

Number 406 in the world at 81kg, Lee Moon-Jin, had an absolutely fantastic day, he took on Georgia’s Luka Maisuradze in the final. Two decisive counters; the first for Waza-ari, and the second for Ippon. It earnt the Korean his first ever Grand Slam Gold, at his first ever Grand Slam appearance.

He was absolutely thrilled to make his mark on the international scene.

He was awarded his medal by Yves Marchand, guest of the International Judo Federation.

The move of the day came from Venezuela’s Elvismar Rodríguez, against World and Olympic Medalist Sally Conway of Great Britain, wrapping up the arm, she won a Bronze medal by winding her opponent over for an emphatic Ippon.

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