ULAN BATOR, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Japan bagged two gold medals on the first day of the Ulan Bator Grand Slam 2023 in judo which started here on Friday, leading the medal table.
The first day featured matches of the women's 48kg, 52kg and 57kg, as well as men's 60kg and 66kg categories.
Japan's Ryuju Nagayama won the men's 60kg category, while Romain Valadier Picard from France took the silver, and the bronze medals went to Lee Ha-rim of South Korea and Romazan Abdulaev who participated in the tournament as a neutral athlete under the flag of the International Judo Federation.
In the women's 48kg category, Hikari Yoshioka from Japan claimed the gold, while Sabina Giliazova, another neutral athlete, took the silver. Bronze medals were shared by Catarina Costa from Portugal and Tamar Malca from Israel.
In the women's 57kg category, Canadian Christa Deguchi beat her compatriot Jessica Klimkait to take the gold. Bronze medals went to South Korean Huh Mimi and neutral athlete Kseniia Galitskaia.
Yondonperenlei Baskhuu of hosts Mongolia defeated Obid Dzhebov of Tajikistan in the men's 66kg final, and Yashar Najafov from Azerbaijan and Mongolian Battogtokh Erkhembayar shared the bronze.
In the women's 52kg category, Israeli Gefen Primo won the gold, French Amandine Buchard took the silver, and Reka Pupp from Hungary and Diyora Keldiyorova from Uzbekistan settled for the bronze medals.
The Ulan Bator Grand Slam 2023, which is scheduled to run through to Sunday, is a qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and has a total prize of 154,000 euros. ■
