The second day of the inaugural Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam in Mongolia saw a majestic opening ceremony in front of a crowded stadium. Performances in traditional Mongolian attire and incredible dancing entertained both locals and international audiences.

The President of the Mongolian Judo Association, HE Battulga Khaltmaa, and the Director General of the International Judo Federation, Mr. Vlad Marinescu, were there to prepare the crowd for judo.

For the under 63 kg category, Japan’s Nabekura Nami won the gold medal. Thanks to a skillful foot sweep, for which she is well known, she clinched the title and brought home her country’s 3rd gold medal in this tournament.

The Founder and CEO of the Champions Camp, Mr. Namsrai Batsaikhan, was on hand to present the medals

All the talk of the day focused on the return of Nagase Takanori, the current Olympic champion under 81 kg. As this was his first tournament with the gold crest, he had a clear target on his back and was the one to beat. But the experienced Japanese athlete was calm and serene as always.

In his first round he performed a fantastic o-soto, a technique he is well known for, and started his day with a mighty Ippon.

Next, he fought young Korean Lee Joonhwan, in Lee’s second IJF tournament. And he shocked the judo world, catching Nagase with a fantastic fall technique, typical of Korean judo.

Lee was absolutely thrilled to put his name firmly on the map and put the -81kg class on high alert.

He then faced Olympic bronze medalist Borchasvili in the final, and once again a lightning-fast falling technique won him the contest and earned him his second gold medal in as many IJF tournaments. An incredible feat from the young Judoka.

The medals were presented by the Mayor of the city of Ulaanbaatar, Mr. Dolgorsuren Sumiyabazar.

The Mongolian team was here in full force, led by Tsend-Ochir Tsogtbaatar, their Olympic bronze medalist. Fantastic judo earned him a silver medal and created the momentum for the rest of the team to perform, using their unorthodox style to pursue judo’s ultimate goal: Ippon.

2 fantastic days of judo here in Mongolia, with everyone in judo holding their breath for heavyweight tomorrow.