Fujishiro wins Tashkent under-52kg gold

Kokoro Fujishiro won the women’s under-52kg title at the Tashkent Grand Slam by defeating Khorloodoi Bishrelt in golden score. The Japanese athlete found the decisive transition into groundwork after more than a minute of extra time and secured gold through a hold-down.

Fujishiro had defeated former world champion Odette Giuffrida earlier in the draw. Bishrelt advanced by beating Liliia Nugaeva in the semifinal, while Nugaeva’s earlier win over Germany’s Masha Ballhaus had removed one of the category’s most consistent international contenders.

Giuffrida earned her nineteenth Grand Slam medal by beating Gabriela Conceicao for bronze, using a foot sweep for waza-ari. Nugaeva won the other bronze against Sofia Asvesta through a yuko from sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi, collecting the first Grand Slam podium finish of her career.