Agbegnenou remains undefeated this year, gold in Jeju

World champion Clarisse Agbegnenou (FRA) was untouchable yet again on the IJF World Judo Tour as she dismissed Casablanca African Open silver medallist Isabel Puche (ESP) to top the podium in Jeju. Agbegnenou, 22, was competing for the first time since winning the world title in August and could be identified by her new red backpatch which is reserved only for world champions.

PUCHE, whose one and only previous IJF World Judo Tour medal was a silver medal at the Rijeka Grand Prix 2013, was penalised with a shido for negative posture before AGBEGNENOU took the lead with a yuko and sealed her seventh gold medal of the year with a huge osoto-gari earning ippon. 

In the first semi-final AGBEGNENOU swept past Glasgow European Open bronze medallist Nadja BAZYNSKI (GER) with a yuko setting her on her way to victory by ippon. In the second semi-final PUCHE showed her grit by coming from behind to deny an all-French final as she beat 21-year-old French Championships silver medallist Lindsay TSANG SAM MOI (FRA). The French judoka was a waza-ari up but her Spanish foe kept positive and got her just rewards as she prevailed by ippon.

The first bronze medal was won by reigning Jeju Grand Prix bronze medallist BAK Jiyun (KOR). The Korean claimed the first medal of the day and her country’s first medal on day two with a yuko score at the hallway point against losing semi-finalist TSANG SAM MOI. The second bronze medal was claimed by BAZYNSKI in a highly entertaining contest against Asian Games gold medallist JOUNG Da-Woon (KOR). JOUNG, who won gold here a year ago, had to settle for fifth-place as her German rival scored a yuko with a morote seoi-nage on the edge of the tatami. BAZYNSKI won her first meeting against Korean and embraced with her father and German coach Michael BAZYNSKI.