D-2: Olympic level
-57kg: Magda thrills Levallois
After the mid-day break (see this morning's review in xxLIENxx), the resumption of competition was to be decisive for the blue clan, starting with world champion Magda Wiet-Henin (-67kg) against Greece's Theopoula Sarvanaki, runner-up at the 2022 World Championships and already beaten twice by the Frenchwoman this year. It was she who got off to the best possible start, scoring three points when she fell after a long minute of observation. Magda then stepped up a gear on the restart, maneuvering around her return kick to get back on level terms before taking off to win the first set 8-3. The second was even clearer, as her live attacks trapped the eighteenth-ranked player in the world, who could only notice the difference between herself and the Frenchwoman. 5-0 in the end, and a breathless quarter-final in prospect against Spain's Cecilia Castro Burgos, who denied her a medal at the 2022 world championships.
A "bête noire" that she clearly approached with the best of energies, buoyed by an arena totally behind her, which was really starting to bubble. The Frenchwoman was nevertheless caught cold, losing 0-3 in the first round. But she remained calm and lucid, and even in a very close fight, she scored the first points in the second round. 2-0, 2-2, then 5-2 before managing to get off the mat. Perfect control. In the last round, she was in perfect tactical control. 0-0, she could smile and let out a shrill cry of satisfaction, creating a lovely wave of applause in the audience. The medal was assured, but there was still a final to come.
This would be against China's Jie Song, ninth in the Olympic rankings, but number 2 in her country. Only seventeenth at the last world championships, she had already won three finals: a victory at the Rome Grand Prix in June, and two silver medals at the President Cup and Australian Open in Brisbane in July. The Chinese player scored the first point, but Magda didn't panic. Nevertheless, she conceded this round (1-3)... followed by a lovely kick from Song in the face of the world champion. 0-3, 0-5, 1-8... the Chinese was surgically precise, while the kicks didn't go in on the French side. Magda logically fell apart under the weight of the score against this very tall woman with her immense legs - a profile she'll be working on for the Olympics - and suffered a slightly harsh defeat (1-14), which didn't prevent her from leaving the combat area with a smile on her face and a standing ovation from the entire audience. A very fine bronze medal after those of recent months for a woman who knows that it will be her next international competition in France - the Olympic Games - that she will have to win.
The final of the category would unfortunately be of no interest: Song was pitted against her compatriot Zhang, ranked higher than her. An insipid fight... until Song mistakenly scored six points on Zhang to win the first round. There would be no further action, with Song feigning injury and forfeiting the match, since it was understood that Zhang would have to take the points with a view to the Olympics. Not glorious.
Théo Lucien (-68kg), who won a medal here last year, was once again at his best against Chile's Cristian Olivero Toro, securing a second quarter-final for the French team (5-6, 5-4, 4-3) early in the afternoon, but was unable to match his intensity against Croatia's Marko Golubic, sixth in the ranking and no less than the reigning world champion. A terse 3-12, 0-14 loss denied him a semi-final berth. Too close to call on this occasion, but there's not much to say, given that his opponent was superior in terms of intent, impact and pace. An apprenticeship that continues for the Montpellier native. As for Golubic, he came up against the most impressive fighter of the day: the Uzbek Ulugbek Tashitov, ranked third in the world, finalist at the Final Grand Prix in Riyadh in 2022, winner of the one in Rome in June after a bronze medal at the World Championships. The semi-final turned into a demonstration. 8-1 in the first round, then a thunderbolt in the second as Golubic led 5-0: 18-10 for an elegant victory at the very highest level. This was confirmed in the final against Brazil's Pontes, who was very solid in his semi-final against Jordan's Zaid Alhalawani. Rashitov scored the first points to lead easily and win the first round 5-0, before going on, steady and impeccable in the eye, to do even better in the second, with some classy kicks: 13-0. Impressive. A clear favourite for the Games.
-68kg: Rashitov, the breath of talent
Théo Lucien (-68kg), who won a medal here last year, was once again at his best against Chile's Cristian Olivero Toro, securing a second quarter-final for the French team (5-6, 5-4, 4-3) early in the afternoon, but was unable to match his intensity against Croatia's Marko Golubic, sixth in the ranking and no less than the reigning world champion. A terse 3-12, 0-14 loss denied him a semi-final berth. Too close to call on this occasion, but there's not much to say, given that his opponent was superior in terms of intent, impact and pace. An apprenticeship that continues for the Montpellier native. As for Golubic, he came up against the most impressive fighter of the day: the Uzbek Ulugbek Tashitov, ranked third in the world, finalist at the Final Grand Prix in Riyadh in 2022, winner of the one in Rome in June after a bronze medal at the World Championships. The semi-final turned into a demonstration. 8-1 in the first round, then a thunderbolt in the second as Golubic led 5-0: 18-10 for an elegant victory at the very highest level. This was confirmed in the final against Brazil's Pontes, who was very solid in his semi-final against Jordan's Zaid Alhalawani. Rashitov scored the first points to lead easily and win the first round 5-0, before going on, steady and impeccable in the eye, to do even better in the second, with some classy kicks: 13-0. Impressive. A clear favourite for the Games.
-80kg: Barkhordari, a prince in Paris
In this category too, the winner will have left his mark on the competition. But the performance of Frenchman Ismaël Bouzid-Souihili should not be overlooked, as he methodically dominated Uzbek Jasurbek Jaysunov, recent winner of the Turkish Open (G2), over three rounds. Effective in hand-to-hand combat and on the counter during the first two minutes of the duel, he let the storm pass in the second round, before finding the right distance to land with his fists before managing the final seconds (5-2, 0-7, 7-6). The Greek Apostolos Telikostoglou (GRE), ranked twelfth in the world, fifth at the 2022 World Championships, third at the European Games, is on the rise. The first round was won, the second lost by a mere 0-1, before the third in which the stadium held its breath. Trailing 0-4, the Frenchman came back to 4-4 with less than twenty seconds to go. But, in his drive for victory, he left a tiny opening, which was exploited by the Greek. 4-5 and no half. Terrible, but full of promise and a demonstration that he too can rise to this level of opposition. The Greek, who went on to demonstrate enormous mental strength to overturn the semi-final tie with Turkey's Yildiz, is in silver tonight. The fault of another phenomenon. First name: Mehran, Last name: Barkhordari. 1m88, twenty-three years old, a final at the Rome Grand Prix and the Turkish Open as his last marks. After dispatching the excellent American Carl Alan Nickolas, fourth in the world and reigning world vice-champion, Barkhordari and his impressive left leg won the first round of the final (8-5) and, although he conceded the second to the Greek by landing a fabulous return kick (7-9), he offered a recital to go for the gold: a 12-0 as a huge slap in the face to his opponent. Splendid! Here again, a fighter who won't be far from the Olympic podium in eleven months' time, in Paris.
LES PODIUMS
RESULTS
-67 kg :1st ZHANG Mengyu (CHN) - 2nd SONG Jie (CHN) -3 WIET-HENIN Magda (FRA)- 3rd HONG Hyo Rim (KOR)
-68 kg : 1st RASHITOV Ulugbek (UZB) - 2nd PONTES Edival (BRA) - 3rd GOLUBIC Marko (CRO) - 3rd ALHALAWANI Zaid (JOR)
-80 kg :BARKHORDARI Mehran (IRI) - 2nd TELIKOSTOGLOU Apostolos (GRE) - 3rd NICKOLAS Carl Alan (USA) - 3rd YILDIZ Muhammed Emin (TUR)
LIVE
Watch the semi-finals and finals on the Sport en France channel:https://www.sportenfrance.com/