Croatia’s Barbara Matić wins judo gold to go No.1 in the world
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Croatia’s Barbara Matić has won the gold medal at the 2024 Judo Grand Slam in Tbilisi, Georgia, showcasing perfect form ahead of the Paris Olympic Games.
In the final, Barbara faced off against the reigning world champion, Sane Van Dijk of the Netherlands.
With a brilliant ippon victory secured just under a minute before the match ended, Barbara clinched the gold medal, instantly ascending to the No.1 spot among female judokas in her −70 kg weight class, daily Sportske novosti reported.
This showdown marked a clash between the two top-ranked athletes, with Van Dijk holding a slight points advantage. However, Barbara’s victory not only earned her 1,000 points but also leveled the playing field.
Throughout the bout, Barbara dictated the pace and rhythm, clearly outperforming her opponent. Despite Van Dijk receiving a warning early on, Barbara came close to scoring a waza-ari. Though it was determined that the waza-ari didn’t count in Barbara’s favor, mere seconds later, she executed a flawless ippon, sealing her triumph in the Tbilisi final.
Barbara Matić (Photo: Instagram)
This marks Barbara’s third gold of the year from the Grand Prix circuit, following similar successes in Portugal and Azerbaijan.
En route to the final, Barbara defeated Luana Carvalho of Brazil 2-0, followed by a 1-0 victory against Shokista Nazarova of Uzbekistan. In the quarterfinals, she bested Hilde Jager of the Netherlands with the same scoreline. In the semifinals, Barbara secured a 1-0 win over Germany’s Giovanna Scoccimarro.
