Samariddin Kuchkarov wins Lausanne Grand Slam judo bronze

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Samariddin Kuchkarov has won a bronze medal in the under-60kg weight category at the Ecole Mont-Olivet Lausanne Grand Slam tournament in Lausanne, Uzbekistan's first-ever medal at a Grand Slam event held in Switzerland.

In the men's under-60kg category, 20-year-old Yamato Fukuda of Japan took the title by defeating Harim Lee of the Republic of Korea early in the final match. The second bronze medal went to Brazilian judoka Michel Augusto.

Kuchkarov faced Kazakhstan's Sherzod Davlatov in the bronze medal bout. The Uzbek judoka waited nearly two minutes into golden score before executing a decisive sumi-otoshi throw to earn a yuko and secure the bronze medal.

The Lausanne event marks the first time in World Judo Tour history that a Grand Slam tournament is taking place in Switzerland. Five sets of medals were awarded on the first day of competition.

In addition to the men's under-60kg event, winners were decided in the women's under-48kg, 52kg, and 57kg categories, as well as the men's under-66kg category.

The opening day also included an event for adaptive judo, with the Ecole Mont-Olivet Lausanne Adapted Judo Grand Slam taking place alongside the main tournament at the Vaudoise Arena. The competition featured athletes with intellectual disabilities, autism, limb impairment, and cerebral palsy competing in the first two classification levels.

The tournament was attended by International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer, International Olympic Committee Honorary President for Life Thomas Bach, and other guests.

For Uzbekistan, the highlight of the opening day was Kuchkarov's bronze medal, which earned the national team its first medal at the inaugural Swiss Grand Slam stage.