-73kg Gold: Lavjargal (MGL)
Home favorite Ankhzaya Lavjargal (MGL) defeated Jack Yonezuka (USA) in the final with an opportunistic uchimata done as the American was getting up off the ground. It was only a waza-ari but being that it was Golden Score, it was the winning point. The home crowd had something to cheer for. It was Mongolia’s first gold of the tournament.
Said Lavjargal: “I am so happy and grateful to have won my very first Grand Slam gold medal right here in my own country. Standing on the mat during such a tough fight, especially when it went deep into Golden Score against Jack Yonezuka, I kept pushing forward by reminding myself how incredibly hard I trained for this exact contest. Hearing the hundreds of people cheering, shouting my name and celebrating the victory, gave me so much energy. I am so proud that my hard work paid off. I don't quite know how I am going to celebrate this achievement just yet, but thank you all so much for your incredible support and cheers. Winning this Olympic qualification event at home means everything and I am excited to keep moving forward on my journey toward the Los Angeles Olympics.”
-81kg Gold: Lee (KOR)
Lee Joonhwan made a triumphant return to competition after a year away, winning the gold medal by throwing his Japanese opponent Yuhei Oino with kouchi-makikomi for ippon. Lee had taken a year-long sabbatical to restructure his judo.
Said Lee: “It feels incredible to win in Ulaanbaatar again after a year away from this tournament. I’ve spent the last year itching to compete and analysing my opponents deeply, so seeing that hard work pay off today is amazing. However, with more than two years left until the Los Angeles Olympics, I can't lose focus. Beating top athletes today doesn’t guarantee a victory next time, especially since they will now be studying me even closer. That’s why I constantly live and breathe judo, even during my downtime. My ultimate goal isn’t just a single gold medal in LA; I want to win again in Australia afterwards to become the first Korean judoka to achieve back-to-back Olympic titles. People say I'm young but there are already younger world champions out there. Today's win doesn't make me the best in the world yet, so I'm going to work myself to death and train as hard as possible until the Olympics.”
