The opening day of the Dushanbe Grand Slam 2026 delivered action across the five lightest weight categories: women’s -48 kg, -52 kg and -57 kg, alongside men’s -60 kg and -66 kg. With 20 podium places on offer, Europe claimed half of them, taking ten medals from an intense and technically rich day of competition.
In the -48 kg category, Amber Gersjes (NED) secured Europe’s sole medal, taking silver after falling to Anudari Jamsran (MGL) in the final. Following an early exit at the Senior European Championships just two weeks ago, a return to the podium marked a welcome turnaround.
Momentum continued in the -60 kg division, where Europe featured in every medal contest. Although both bronze medal bouts slipped away, the final guaranteed success, pitting Artem Lesiuk (UKR) against Ayub Bliev (RUS). It was Bliev who seized control from the outset. He opened the scoring with sharp ashi-waza for yuko, before extending his lead with a beautifully timed o-uchi-gari for waza-ari, executed with precision and authority.
Lesiuk struggled to respond and Bliev showed no intention of easing off. Maintaining relentless pressure, he launched one final attack to bring the contest to a decisive close. Gold belonged to Bliev at the Qasri Tennis Arena, capping a day of composed and commanding judo. Afterwards, Bliev reflected during an interview with the International Judo Federation (IJF): “The people of Tajikistan are amazing and the atmosphere is unmatched. I really enjoy competing in Dushanbe. People here love martial arts, especially judo. They energise me, giving me extra motivation. It is a great pleasure to show my judo here and to make the crowd happy.”
Europe’s success continued in the -52 kg category. Kenya Perna (ITA) claimed her first IJF World Tour medal with bronze, while in the final, double Olympic medallist Odette Giuffrida (ITA) faced Aleksandra Kaleta (POL). The contest proved tighter than expected, with Kaleta well prepared to disrupt Giuffrida’s gripping patterns and rhythm. Nevertheless, the Italian’s experience prevailed. Step by step, she imposed control, forcing her opponent into penalties through calm, calculated pressure. Giuffrida secured her sixth Grand Slam gold, adding yet another accolade to her distinguished career.
Speaking to the IJF after her victory, Giuffrida said: “I wanted to compete in Dushanbe because many people told me that there is nothing like Tajikistan, and they were right. The atmosphere here gave me power. I am glad that Dushanbe will host the Masters in 2026 so I can return and experience how nice the local people are once again.”
In the -66 kg category, Russia added two bronze medals through Iago Abuladze and German Kobets, the latter celebrating his first IJF World Tour podium finish. A similar breakthrough came in the -57 kg division, where Olga Mukhina (RUS) claimed her first medal at this level, and made it gold. Facing teenage contender Ariunzaya Terbish (MGL) in the final, Mukhina delivered a composed performance, scoring the decisive yuko with a well-timed o-uchi-gari.
Terbish applied constant pressure but could only draw a single shido in response, ultimately settling for silver. For Mukhina, it marked a dream debut on the World Judo Tour. “It is my first medal at an IJF event and to begin with a gold is more than I ever expected,” she told IJF “I hope this is the beginning of a long series of collecting rewards.” Natalia Elkina (RUS) added to Europe’s tally with a bronze in the same category, completing a strong opening day for the continent.
Day two of the Dushanbe Grand Slam 2026 will feature women’s -63 kg and -70 kg, alongside men’s -73 kg and -81 kg categories. Watch all the action live on JudoTV.
Source: International Judo Federation
Author: EJU Media