Abdulloi takes Tashkent under-73kg gold

Orif Abdulloi won the men’s under-73kg title at the Tashkent Grand Slam by defeating Uzbekistan’s Shakhram Ahadov in golden score. The Tajik judoka converted a strong run through the tournament into gold despite not entering among the principal favourites.

The late withdrawal of Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov had opened opportunities in the draw. Abdulloi beat Arun Kumar in the quarterfinals and Giovanni Esposito in the semifinal, while Ahadov reached the final after overcoming compatriot Elbek Tojiev in the other semifinal.

Tojiev recovered to win bronze in an all-Uzbek match against Mukhammad Jumaev, scoring a yuko to settle the contest. Japan’s Shusuke Uchimura claimed the other bronze against Esposito, first scoring a yuko and then completing a decisive ippon to secure his podium position.