11-05-2025
Judo Grand Slam 2025: Golden Finale in Astana
On the third and final day of the 2025 Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam the heavyweights stepped up, following 2 days of nonstop action and breathtaking ippons, and they didn't disappoint here in Astana.
At -90kg six-time grand slam winner Mikhail IGOLNIKOV was up against newcomer Egor MALKIN.
A well-timed change of direction and a 5 second hold down secured victory for IGOLNIKOV.
Masdar CEO Mr Mohamed Jamil AL RAMAHI was on hand to award the medals.
In -78kg Minju KIM of Korea met Mao IZUMI in a tense final.
Only a single yuko score would decide the winner, with KIM landing a seo-toshi to give her her first grand slam gold.
She was awarded her medals by IJF Education & Coaching Director Mr Mohammed MERIDJA.
At -100kg top seed Dota ARAI of Japan was up against Daniel EICH of Switzerland in the fight for first place.
In an exhilarating set of exchanges ARAI went ahead scoring waza-ari, to which Eich quickly responded. It was a decisive uchi-mata from Arai that earned him the gold.
An incredible display of judo talent and sportsmanship.
He was awarded his medal by Sport Qory Director Mr Yerlan AUGANBAYEV.
At +78kg Hyeonji LEE of Korea met Julia TOLOFUA of France.
It was a closely fought contest with LEE scoring a yuko to take her first-grand slam gold.
The medals were awarded by IJF Sport Director Mr Michael TAMURA.
In the +100kg Hyoga OTA of Japan made it to his 7th grand slam final. He was competing against home favourite Yerassyl KAZHYBAYEV.
OTA silenced the home crowd with a perfectly executed Uchi-mata. Gold for Japan.
The medals were awarded by Kazakhstan Minister of Tourism and Sports Mr Yerbol MYRZABOSSYNOV.
On this the last day of competition, the Kazakh team had plenty to celebrate with bronze medals for Marat BAIKAMUROV and Bakzhan BAITAS in the -100kg category.
It's been a tournament filled with high-impact judo and unforgettable moments.
The world tour will return in one months time for the 2025 world judo championships. We'll see you in Budapest.
An anti-immigration protest was held in Poland this weekend, with far-right political groups attending the demonstration in Warsaw.
The participants of the march oppose the creation of integration and assistance centres for immigrants in Poland, and a petition to restore control over the Polish-German border was handed over to Prime Minister's Office.
The protest was organised by Robert Bakiewicz, the leader of the Independence March Association.
"We are marching to fight for a free, independent, sovereign Poland without a massive immigration, without imposing us here migrants who are culturally alien, without imposing us islam, without sharia zones, without rapes on women, without attacks in public schools on our children," he said.
In the early months of 2022, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, millions of Ukrainians — mostly women and children — fled to Poland, where they were met with an extraordinary outpouring of sympathy.
Ukrainian flags appeared in windows. Polish volunteers rushed to the border with food, diapers, SIM cards. Some opened their homes to complete strangers.
In the face of calamity, Poland became not just a logistical lifeline for Ukraine, but a paragon of human solidarity.
Three years later, Poland remains one of Ukraine's staunchest allies — a hub for Western arms deliveries and a vocal defender of Kyiv's interests. But at home, the tone toward Ukrainians has shifted.
Nearly a million Ukrainian refugees remain in Poland, with roughly 2 million Ukrainian citizens overall in the nation of 38 million people. Many of them arrived before the war as economic migrants.
As Poland heads into a presidential election on 18 May, with a second round expected 1 June, the growing fatigue with helping Ukrainians has become so noticeable that some of the candidates have judged that they can win more votes by vowing less help for Ukrainians.
