Turkish Judo Celebrates its Champions
As the day 2 final block was about the start, the official opening of the Antalya Grand Slam 2024 took place in the presence of the governor of Antalya, HE Hulusi Şahin. After the showing of a dynamic video highlighting the beauty of Antalya, Türkiye and the extraordinary dynasty of the grand slam, the anthems of Türkiye and the IJF were played.
The governor of Antalya, HE Hulusi Şahin (Center)
During his speech, the president of the Turkish Judo Federation, Mr Sezer Huysuz, declared, “Dear governor of Antalya, dear guests, coaches, athletes, referees and all judo fans, I wish you a warm welcome in Antalya. On behalf of the Turkish Judo Federation, I want to thank all of you. Thank you Mr Marius Vizer, IJF president, Dr Lazlo Toth, EJU president and IJF vice-president, and thank you to the whole judo family. I wish you good luck.”
Then Dr Lazlo Toth took the floor, “Dear governor of Antalya, dear president of the TJF, distinguished guests, I’d like to offer you the best regards from the IJF president. Congratulations to the Turkish Judo Federation for the fantastic organisation and to all the nations present in Antalya. I want to give a special thank you to all the volunteers and to the government of Türkiye for supporting judo. I hope this competition will bring a lot of points to all the athletes on their way to Paris 2024. I declare the Antalya Grand Slam 2024 open.”
In the minutes following the opening, former Turkish athletes and great champions who competed at the highest level, including world championships and Olympics Games, were celebrated on the stage in front of an enthusiastic audience.
Those present were presented with awards by Dr Toth and Mr Huysuz:
- Hüseyin Özkan – Sydney Olympic champion
- Hülya Senyurt – Barcelona Olympic bronze medallist
- Nese Sensoy Yildiz – European and world medallist and Olympian
- Ilknur Kobas Tepe – European and world medallist and Olympian
- Bektas Demirel – European and world medallist and Olympian
- Dilara Lokmanhekim – European champion and Olympian
- Busra Katipoglu Ureten – Olympian
Celebrating today’s champions but also the champions of the past is part of the DNA of the sport. Todays’ representatives of the most glorious hours of Turkish judo brought emotion and smiles, ingredients that will inspire the future generations present in the venue. It was then time for the final block and the excitement of a thrilling tournament.
The second day of competition ended with Japan still on top of the medal table but today just the the one new gold medal was added after one of the most intense finals in terms of kumi-kata between Olympic champion Nagase and Gauthier Drapeau of Canada. Actually with that silver medal, Canada reached second place, followed by Austria, the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Moldova, while Türkiye is now 6th, with their new day two medal. So far 19 countries reached the podium. Tomorrow, for the last day of competition, the heavier categories will be on the move. Follow the action on from 10:00 am on, local time.
