The Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam 2026 (8-10 May) got off to a golden start for Europe’s lightweight judoka, as the second stop of the Central Asian swing, following last week’s Dushanbe Grand Slam, opened in Astana on Friday (8 May).
Europe swept all of the women’s gold medals on day one.
Italy’s Francesca Milani set the tone by claiming bronze in the women’s -48kg category, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chen-Hao Lin in the opening medal contest.
Russia’s Kristina Dudina followed with a commanding display against Azerbaijan’s Shafag Hamidova, scoring two waza-aris to secure the second bronze medal. It marked Dudina’s second Grand Slam podium finish, both achieved close to home in Kazakhstan.
The spotlight then turned to the -48kg final, where Amber Gersjes of the Netherlands continued her momentum from her first Grand Slam medal just one week prior. She faced Mongolia’s Narantsetseg Ganbaatar, who held a 3-0 head-to-head lead. Gersjes, however, had clearly done her homework and managed to fend off some of Ganbaatar’s usual attacks before sneaking in de-ashi-harai for yuko in the last minute to upgrade her silver medal to a very first Grand Slam gold for the Dutchwoman. She was visibly delighted coming off the mat.
“I always wanted to get here, and finally I found myself. It has been a long way to collect my first grand slam gold and I’m glad because my team always believed in me and helped a lot. I love judo, but I had to learn to be patient, and this took a while. After last week, I knew this competition would be mine,” she told the IJF of her win.
In the women’s -57kg category, Azerbaijan’s Gultaj Mammadaliyeva finished fifth after losing the first bronze-medal contest, while Russia’s Liliia Nugaeva secured the second bronze.
The second women’s gold medal of the day also went to Europe, as France’s Blandine Pont defeated Khorloodoi Bishrelt of the UAE by yuko in the -52kg final. The victory earned Pont her second Grand Slam title at -52kg and the fifth Grand Slam gold medal of her career, following her triumph earlier this year at the Tbilisi Grand Slam.
“Since I changed my category last year and came back from a huge knee injury, I have practised harder than ever,” Pont told the IJF of her victory. “I am proud of myself because this year’s success has shown my passion for judo. Although it is only the beginning of a long journey to Los Angeles [2028], I am clear about my goals. My boyfriend, Manuel [Lombardo], told me about the atmosphere in Astana, and he was right; the people here love judo, and it helps me on the tatami.”
There were no European medals in the men’s -60kg category, but Russia’s Ramazan Abdulaev and Saigid Lerimov ensured Europe still featured on the podium at -66kgs, claiming bronze and silver respectively against opponents from the host region.
The day rounded out with a nearly all-European podium at -57kgs, with Faiza Mokdar defeating teammate Chloe Devictor in the all-France final, for her second gold in Kazakhstan.
“It might be the air in Kazakhstan but I always enjoy my time in Astana,” she said. “This could be the reason for my second title here. This performance gives me a great base to go on with, one event at a time.”
The Netherlands’ Shannon Can de Meeberg rounded out the Dutch team’s success, bringing home the bronze.
Day one results:
-48kg :
Gold: Amber Gersjes (NED)
Silver: Narantsetseg Ganbaatar (MGL)
Bronze: Francesca Milani (ITA)
Bronze: Kristina Dudina (RUS)
-60kg:
Gold: Sukhbat Byambasuren (MGL)
Silver: Talgat Orynbassar (KAZ)
Bronze: Sherzod Davlatov (KAZ)
Bronze: Yung Wei Yang (TPE)
-52kg:
Gold: Blandine Pont (FRA)
Silver: Khorloodoi Bishrelt (UAE)
Bronze: Nandin-Erdene Myagmarsuren (MGL)
Bronze: Liliia Nugaeva (RUS)
–66kg:
Gold: Abdurakhim Nutfulloev (UZB)
Silver: Saigid Kerimov (RUS)
Bronze: Anvarjon Ibrohimov (UZB)
Bronze: Ramazan Abdulaev (RUS)
-57kg:
Gold: Faiza Mokdar (FRA)
Silver: Chloe Devictor (FRA)
Bronze: Shannon Van de Meeberg (NED)
Bronze: Sarah Souza (BRA)
Author: Grace Goulding