By Gary Anderson

July 20 - Judoka MoscowBrazil claimed two gold medals on day one of the 2013 International Judo Federation (IJF) Moscow Grand Slam in Moscow where athletes from Finland, Germany, Israel, Georgia and Belgium also secured victories.


On the first day of competition at the Krylatskoe Sport Palace, athletes competed in the lightweight categories including the women's -48 kilogram, -52kg, -57kg and -63kg, while there were three men's categories contested: -60kg, -66kg and -73kg.

Defending Moscow Grand Slam winner and Olympic champion Sarah Menezes claimed the first gold of the day in the women's -48kg division.

The Brazilian overcame Galbadrakh Otgontsetseg of Monglolia by virtue of two shido scores.

Hosts Russia earned their first medal of the day, with bronze from Lusine Avakyan, while Romania's Monica Ungureanu took the other bronze.

Finalnd's Jaana Sundberg followed up her win at the Baku Grand Slam with another gold medal in the -52kg category by overcoming Brazil's world number seven Érika Miranda.

Sundberg secured victory over the defending Moscow Grand Slam champion with an uchi-mata for ippon.

Lisbon European Open silver medallist Roni Schwartz of Israel and compatriot Gili Cohen both took bronze.

Olympic champion Sarah Menezes of Brazil second from left defended her Moscow Judo Grand Slam titleOlympic champion Sarah Menezes (second from left) defended her Moscow
Judo Grand Slam title

German Miryam Roper claimed her second Grand Slam of the year with an impressive win over Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medallist and Kazan 2013 Universiade winner Ketleyn Quadros of Brazil in the -57kg class.

Quadros' teammate Rafaela Silva took bronze to claim her fifth Grand Slam medal at the tender age of 21, with Austria's European Championship silver medallist Sabrina Filzmoser taking the other bronze.

In an absorbing contest Israel's Yarden Gerbi returned to the number one spot in the world following a narrow win over world number five Anicka Van Emden of the Netherlands which saw her claim her second consecutive Grand Slam gold in the -63kg category.

Bronze medals went to Mongolia's Mungunchimeg Baldorj and Martyna Trajdos of Germany.

Belgiums Dirk Van Tichelt blue defeated home favourite Denis Iartcev which did not please the Moscow crowdDirk Van Tichelt (blue) defeated home favourite Denis Iartcev which did not please the Moscow crowd

The men's -60 category also saw a former world number one return to the top of the rankings as European champion Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia produced a brilliant display to beat London 2012 bronze medallist Felipe Kitadai of Brazil in the final.

Azerbaijani Ilgar Mushkiyev secured a second successive Moscow bronze by defeating Hevorh Hevorhyan of Ukraine, while Armenia's Hovhannes Davtyan won the other bronze medal.

Pan American bronze medallist Charles Chibana of Brazil defeated Britain's Colin Oates in the final of the -66kg category, earning himself his first career win in a Grand Slam event.

Another Brazilian claimed bronze in the shape of world number 13 Luiz Revite, with last year's champion Mirzahid Farmonov of Uzbekistan having to settle for bronze too.

Belgian Dirk Van Tichelt did not endear himself to the Muscovite crowd after he defeated Bucharest European Open winner Denis Iartcev of Russia in the final of the -73kg class.

Navruz Jurakobilov of Uzbekistan and former junior European bronze medallist Enrico Parlati of Italy took bronze.

Day two will see the heavyweights in action in Moscow as seven more weight categories are contested.

Photos: © IJF media by Tamas Zahonyi

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