520 judoka from 88 countries took to the tatami mats at the Tokyo Judo Grand Slam on Saturday in a bid for glory.
Many athletes are eager to participate in the Japanese flagship event to go for gold and end the Judo World Tour in style, while testing their mettle.However, this year is of extra importance, as the competitors aim to secure more vital ranking points in the race to qualify for the rapidly approaching Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
A post shared by International Judo Federation (@judogallery) The male competitors were on form, each fighting tooth and nail to make their way through the tournament.In the under 73kg category, Azerbaijan's Hidayat Heydarov took the gold medal with a fantastic waza-ari in the final against Japan's Soichi Hashimoto, securing him the win.
A post shared by International Judo Federation (@judogallery) On the third step of the podium, stood Italy's Manuel Lombardo and Georgia's Giorgi Terashvili.All Japan Judo Federation President, Shinichi Nakamura, awarded the medals.