The key facts

  • Hassan Doukkali (-73 kg) won Morocco's first-ever Grand Slam gold
  • Petru Pelivan (-81 kg) and Thais Pina (-70 kg) claimed their first gold medals in a long time
  • Medals were presented by representatives of the UAE, Tajikistan, Moldova and Trinidad and Tobago

Second day of the tournament in Abu Dhabi

The second day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2026 judo tournament concluded at Mubadala Arena, reported euronews. That day, medals were contested in five middle weight categories — from -63 to -81 kg.

Winners of the day

In the -63 kg category, Poland's Angelika Szymańska, champion of the Lausanne stage, defeated Hungary's Anna Kriz: she scored a waza-ari and held her opponent until the end of the bout. After her victory, she said she had been disappointed with her performance at the World Championships and had told her coach before the tournament that she was going to Abu Dhabi to win the competition.

Historic golds

The final in the -73 kg category produced a historic result: Morocco's Hassan Doukkali used a feint to create a position for a throw, scored a yuko and defeated Tajikistan's Masudi Akhmadzoda. This is the first Grand Slam gold in Morocco's history. The judoka himself said after the final that he was proud of himself after many attempts. The medals in this category were presented by Tajikistan's Ambassador to the UAE Ashrafjon Gulov.

The remaining finals

In the -70 kg category, Portugal's Thais Pina defeated Brazil's Kailanni Cardozo, demonstrating her groundwork: she turned her opponent over and applied a hold. This is her first Grand Slam gold in two years. In the -81 kg category, Moldova's Petru Pelivan threw Finland's Eetu Ihanamäki with a ko-uchi-gari for a yuko and claimed his first Grand Slam gold. The medals were presented, among others, by UAE Minister of State Jabr Al Suwaidi and Vice President of the Moldovan Judo Federation Victor Florescu. On the third day of the tournament, the heavyweights will take to the tatami.