Day two of the Dushanbe Grand Slam brought power and precision to the tatami of the Qasri Tennis arena. The second of the two women’s categories in contention was full of big judo, direct and powerful techniques that held the gaze of the thousands of spectators present.
Final, Aleksandra Kowalewska (POL) vs Michaela Polleres (AUT).
In the final, Aleksandra Kowalewska (POL) arrived to undertake a mammoth task, facing double Olympic medallist Michaela Polleres (AUT) for gold. From the first “hajime” Polleres seemed in control but her pace slowed as Kowalewska rose to the challenge.
With 90 seconds to go, the Polish athlete attempted a seoi-otoshi which was close to delivering a yuko score. This was a warning but Polleres struggled to heed it. Kowalewska continued to use the seoi-otoshi, sometimes combining it with other techniques. A score did not look far away. It wasn’t! As the golden score period began she threw Polleres for a waza-ari with ko-uchi-gari. Kowalewska looked shocked while Polleres looked frustrated but the former, just 21 years old, had won her first grand slam medal and won it well.
Gold medallist, Aleksandra Kowalewska (POL).
After the final, Aleksandra Kowalewska said, “I still cannot describe my feelings. I came here to show my judo, to gain more experience, and then I found myself in the final with a very experienced opponent, which actually did not stress me out. I was able to stay cool and this may have helped me to secure my first title. There is no time to celebrate as I will compete in Astana. I do not feel the pressure to win back-to-back events but it would be great to return home with two gold medals.”
Bronze medal contest, Clemence Eme (FRA) vs Nika Koren (SLO).
The first bronze medal was set to go home with either Clemence Eme, to France, or Nika Koren, Slovenia. Both judoka worked hard in normal time but neither could find the gap they needed. However, as the contest moved into golden score, Eme unleashed an incredible sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi, an unarguable ippon.
This was only Clemence Eme’s second World Judo Tour medal and she left the arena with visible emotion, overjoyed by her achievement.
Bronze medal contest, Irene Pedrotti (ITA) vs Jana Cvjetko (CRO).
In the last of three all-European medal matches, Jana Cvjetko (CRO) and Irene Pedrotti strode on to the tatami. The decisive action, surprisingly, came from Cvjetko but in the wrong direction. She attacked with a sutemi-waza but Pedrotti anticipated it too well and skipped round it directly into osaekomi, capitalising on Cvjetko’s sacrifice perfectly. This is Pedrotti’s first grand slam medal.
Medals, cheques and flowers were presented by Mr Raul Camacho Perez, Referee Director of the International Judo Federation, and Mr Ozodkhon Davlatshoev, CEO of TCELL, Sponsor of Dushanbe Grand Slam 2026.
