Weighing 126kg, Russia’s 2020 European champion was giving away a 47kg difference to Brazil’s man-mountain Rafael Silva, the London 2012 and Rio 2016 bronze medallist who tips the scales at 173kg.

But the home judoka found a way to win as he was deemed the more active against an opponent who was penalised three times.

Bronze medals went to Johannes Frey of Germany and Silva’s compatriot David Moura.

That recompensed home fans for the defeat in the men’s under-100kg final of Russia’s Arman Adamian, who fell to a sudden and spectacular ippon achieved by Simeon Catharina of The Netherlands that silenced the limited crowd.

Bronze medals went to Russia’s Niiaz Bilalov and Guham Cho of South Korea.

The earlier men’s final in the under-90kg class was won by Japan’s Sanshiro Murao, with silver going to Germany’s Eduard Trippel and bronzes being won by Georgia’s Luka Maisuradze and world champion Nemanja Majdov of Serbia.

Germany’s Anna Maria Wagner, winner at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam in February and seeded number one in the women’s under-72kg category, lived up to her billing with a swift win in the final against Natascha Ausma of The Netherlands.

Wagner’s team-mate Luise Malzahn won her 34^th medal on the World Judo Tour as she beat Croatia’s Karla Prodan to bronze, with the second bronze being won by Ukraine’s Anastasiya Turchyn.

In the women’s over-78kg category France’s 2018 and 2020 European champion Romane Dicko won her eighth gold in nine tournaments by beating European bronze medallist Maryna Slutskaya of Belarus.

Bronze medals went to Brazilians Maria Suelen Altheman and Beatriz Souza.

Russia’s winning total was four golds, six silvers and five bronzes, with Japan second with three golds and a bronze and France third with two golds and a silver.