Israeli Judoka Yitzhak Ashpiz Wins Gold at Budapest Grand Slam
Young Israeli judoka Yitzhak Ashpiz won the gold medal at the Budapest Grand Slam in the under-60 kg category, defeating France's Enzo Jean in the final with an ippon.
Young Israeli judoka Yitzhak Ashpiz won the gold medal on Friday at the Budapest Grand Slam in the under-60 kg weight category, delivering an impressive performance throughout the tournament.
Ashpiz began his competition in the second round, defeating Doston Rozaev of Uzbekistan by ippon. In the round of 16, the Israeli continued his strong form with another ippon, this time against Emil Jering of the Netherlands. In the quarterfinals, he faced Portuguese judoka Rodrigo Fernandes, securing victory with two yuko scores to advance.
In the semifinals, Ashpiz met Artem Lesiuk of Ukraine, earning two yuko scores against his opponent's one to reach the final. In the gold medal match, the Israeli faced Enzo Jean of France. Ashpiz capitalized on a mistake by the Frenchman during an attack, executing a flawless counter-throw to pin him on his back for an ippon, securing the gold.
The victory comes just about two weeks after Gefen Primo won gold at the Lausanne Grand Slam in Switzerland. Primo, who also competed in Budapest, finished seventh this time.
Israel national team coach Shany Hershko was moved by Ashpiz's achievement and highlighted his journey back from injury:
"This is a very significant achievement for Yitzhak. Returning from injury to win gold at a Grand Slam says a lot about his character, resilience, discipline, and commitment. Yitzhak worked very hard to return to this level, and today he received the reward for that work."
Ashpiz summed up the moment:
"This is a great gift for me and for the country on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. I went through a difficult period, so returning to competition like this and finishing it with a gold medal is a very special feeling."
