October 29 - The World Judo Tour makes its way to China tomorrow as Qingdao's Guoxin Stadium prepares to host the Tours third Asian leg with its very own Qingdoa Grand Prix.
The three day event, held between October 30 and 1 November, will see 181 judoka from 14 countries competing at the 12,500 capacity stadium for their chance to win gold and claim some all important ranking points.
Home fans will already be casting their attention to the final day of the event where Chinese athlete's Yu Song and Qin Qiang will be looking to secure medals in the over 78 kilogram division.
Yu Song is ranked sixth in the world at the division and will be looking to defend the title she won at the event last year.
Qiang, who lost to her team mate in the final of last year's event, will be looking to outshine her countryman in the competition this year and completes a very dangerous looking Chinese outfit.
China's Chen Fei will also be hoping to take gold at the competition as she looks to defend the title she won last year in the under 70kg division.
She will face tough opposition in Germany's Laura Vargos Koch, who enters the tournament as the number one seed, following her successful run of events that has seen her take gold and silver at the Rijeka Grand Prix and Rio World Championships respectively.
The Germans will be hoping to dominate the under 63kg category as they unleash Lisbon European Open bronze medallist Claudia Ahrens and Moscow Grand Slam bronze medallist Martyna Trajdos.
Judo Tour newcomer Ana Carla Grincevicus will be hoping to challenge the two Germans as she returns from the World Combat Games having won silver with the Brazilian team.
Another Brazilian looking to steal the spotlight will be the nation's first female world champion Rafaela Silver.
The 21-year-old will be become the world number one in the under 57kg weight division should she take gold in Qingdao.
Looking to stop her will be Mongolia's world number four and World Judo Masters winner Sumiya Dorjsuren along with Romania's Rome European Open winner and London 2012 silver medallist Corina Caprioriu.
The men's event will see three reigning Olympic champions, all of whom are from Russia, take to the tatami in what should prove to be a highly competitive few days of judo.
Arsen Galstyan returns to action in the under 60 kg weight category after a particularly low key season following his success at London 2012
Galstyan has been seen at just two events this year, taking gold at the Buenos Aires Pan American Open before having to settle for silver at the Universiade in Kazan.
The Olympic champion will have to fend off competition from fellow countryman and European champion Beslan Mudranov, as well as Mongolian judoka Kherlen Ganbold, bronze medallist at the Tashkent Grand Prix in Uzbekistan earlier this month.
Russia, who look to be making a statement at this event, also call on Olympic champion Mansur Isaev to lead their team to victory in the under 73kg division.
He will fight alongside teammate Murat Kodzokov, Mongolia's Odbayar Ganbaatar and United Arab Emirates' Victor Scvortov in an effort to take home the gold medal.
In the under 100kg category, Russia's Tagir Khaibulaev will have a huge target on his back following his win at London 2012.
Khaibulaev will face tough opposition in his bid to take gold in the competition; with the man he beat to take the title in London looking to settle the score.
Mongolia's Tuvshinbayar Naidan, who lost to Khaibulaev in that final, makes a rare appearance on the tatami having spent most of this season working as a coach for the Mongolian Judo Association.
Another familiar face for the Russian, and indeed Naidan, will be bronze medallist at London 2012, Dimitri Peters of Germany.
Two more Russians looking to take home a medal are heavyweight enforcers Renat Saidov and Alexander Mikhaylin.
The two over 100kg competitors are the most accomplished in the field with Saidov taking bronze at the World Judo Masters and Mikhaylin securing silver at the Olympics last year.
Although many may see this division as a two horse race between the Russian powerhouses, Mongolia's Burentugs Purev and Brazil's Gabriel Santos will be hoping otherwise and could provide a big upset on the final day of the competition.
To watch the latest action on Judo TV click here.
Contact the writer of this story at paul.osborne@insidethegames.biz Any source
No comments:
Post a Comment