Taiwanese Olympic judo medalist Yang Yung-wei on Friday added another grand slam gold to his collection after beating former world champion Lukhumi Chkhvimiani of Georgia with a drop shoulder throw in the men’s under-60kg final at the Antalya Grand Slam in Turkey.
Yang, who won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and gold at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam last year, scored with a seoi nage (shoulder throw), in the last minute and 32 seconds for waza-ari (the second-highest score in the three-tier system), which gave him the win.
Solidifying his second grand slam gold since the Olympics, Yang let out a victory yell just before the final bow at the end of the match.
Photo: CNA
After the win, Yang commended Chkhvimiani, who was the 2019 world champion in Tokyo.
“My opponent’s physical condition was very, very good, so it was really difficult to compete with him. He is very skilled, and showed good techniques and results,” Yang said.
Yang previously faced Chkhvimiani at the 2019 World Judo Championships, where the Taiwanese judoka lost in the quarter-finals.
Photo copied by Wu Meng-ju, Taipei Times
Yang’s coach Liu Wen-teng said Yang has improved tremendously since then.
“The Yang Yung-wei you see now has excelled in strength, speed and physicality. Furthermore, in their last matchup, Yang also had a good chance to win,” Liu said.
Liu added that Yang is a world-class competitor and would be a tough opponent to face.
Taiwanese representative to Turkey Volkan Huang awarded Yang’s medal on Friday.
Huang said it was the first time he has awarded a medal to a Taiwanese athlete, and the most touching moment of his 24-year career in foreign service.
“I will never forget this moment. Thank you Yang Yung-wei for making us [Taiwanese] diplomats so proud,” he said.
Yang and Liu are soon to return to Taiwan to prepare for the Chengdu Summer World University Games, which starts in June.
The 24-year-old Yang last year became a media sensation in Taiwan after winning the nation’s first Olympic medal in judo, and his popularity continued to rise after finishing last year as world No. 1 in the extra lightweight class.
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