The second day of the Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam produced four finals at the Mubadala Arena, with European judoka taking three of the gold medals on offer and two countries celebrating a first Grand Slam title in their history.
The day's most significant result for the continental circuit came at -63kg, where Poland's Angelika Szymanska, the reigning Lausanne Grand Slam champion, overcame Hungary's Anna Kriza. Szymanska scored waza ari and controlled the closing exchanges to secure the win, a result she framed as a direct response to a disappointing performance at the World Championships.
"I really expected a good result because I was very disappointed after worlds," Szymanska said. "After the fight at the world championships I told my coach Annetta that we are going to go to Abu Dhabi and I'm going to win this competition."
The victory matters beyond the medal itself: it opens the new Olympic qualification period on the strongest possible footing for the Polish number one, who will now carry ranking points and momentum into the European season. The medals were presented by His Excellency Jabr Al Suwaidi, UAE Minister of State.
Historic firsts for Morocco and Moldova
The -73kg final paired Tajikistan's Masudi Ahmadzod with Morocco's Hassan Doukkali, and it was Doukkali who found the decisive moment, using a feint to create the angle for a yuko and claim Morocco's first Grand Slam gold medal. The medals were awarded by His Excellency Ashrafjon Gulov, Tajikistan's ambassador to the UAE.
"It means for me a lot of things," Doukkali said. "I'm proud for myself after a lot of chances, finally I'm a gold medalist."
Moldova's Petru Pelivan matched that achievement in the -81kg category, defeating Finland's Eetu Ihanamaki with a well-timed ko uchi gari for yuko. It was Pelivan's first Grand Slam title and another first for his national federation, which has been steadily building a presence on the World Judo Tour. Victor Florescu, vice president of the Moldova Judo Federation, presented the medals.
Between those two results, Portugal's Tais Pina took the -70kg title against Brazil's Kaillany Cardoso, using groundwork to turn and pin her opponent. For Pina, it ended a two-year wait for a Grand Slam gold. The medals were presented by Brian Lewis, former president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee.
Day two followed a strong opening session that had already produced a landmark result for Azerbaijan, as covered in our report on Azerbaijan's breakthrough in Abu Dhabi. The tournament sits early in the new Olympic cycle, giving federations across Europe and beyond an early read on form before the heavier qualification events later in the year.
For the broader judo calendar, the results in the Emirati capital also feed into a season that will build towards the World Championships, where Japan has recently set the benchmark, as we noted in our coverage of Japan's dominance in Baku. European judoka will need to close that gap, and results such as Szymanska's suggest the continent's middleweights are capable of doing so.
The Grand Slam continues with the heavier categories, where several European contenders will be looking to convert ranking points into podium places. For now, day two belongs to Poland, Portugal, Morocco and Moldova — four countries, four very different judo traditions, and one shared result.
