Sanne Vermeer shines with stunning ippon and gold in Zagreb

The women’s -70kg final at the Zagreb Grand Prix delivered a thrilling conclusion, with Sanne Vermeer (NED) triumphing over Maya Kogan (ISR) in a highly competitive match. Kogan, known for her style similar to her Olympic silver medallist teammate Inbar Lanir, opened the scoring with a powerful ko-soto-gake. However, Vermeer responded with a beautifully executed uchi-mata-sukashi for ippon, securing the gold in spectacular fashion.

Croatia’s best hope for gold rested with top-seeded Lara Cvjetko. With an impressive resume, including world silver medals at both junior and senior levels, Cvjetko was a strong favorite to reach the final. However, she was unexpectedly eliminated by Kogan in the semi-finals, forcing Cvjetko to shift her focus to the bronze medal contest.

In the bronze medal match, Cvjetko faced Kaillany Cardoso (BRA). She started strong, scoring an early waza-ari with her aerial uchi-mata. As both judoka accumulated two penalties each, the pressure mounted, but Cvjetko remained composed. With just 32 seconds left on the clock, she secured a second waza-ari, again with her signature uchi-mata, to clinch the bronze medal and delight the home crowd with another podium finish for Croatia.

The first bronze medal contest saw Shiho Tanaka (JPN) take on Kaja Schuster (SLO). Despite the support of Olympic champion Andreja Leški from the stands, Schuster couldn’t break through Tanaka’s defenses. As the match appeared to be heading into golden score, Tanaka launched a last-second uchi-mata attack, scoring ippon right at the gong to claim bronze for Japan.

Vermeer’s triumph in the final capped off a day filled with excitement, as the Dutch judoka delivered a flawless performance to take home gold.