Home Crowd Roars as Baikamurov Seals -100 kg Gold in Astana

The final day in Astana ended with a loud home celebration in the -100 kg category, as Marat Baikamurov delivered gold for Kazakhstan in front of his own fans. Facing Moldova’s Vadim Ghimbovschi at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace, Baikamurov found the key moment when it mattered most and turned crowd energy into a winning performance.

Ghimbovschi came into the final with a tough task. The arena was fully behind Baikamurov, and that support seemed to lift the Kazakh judoka from the opening exchanges. The decisive score came from an ambitious O-uchi-gari, with Baikamurov catching Ghimbovschi for a yuko and putting himself in control.

The Moldovan did not back off. He committed fully and tried to raise the intensity, even attempting to pick Baikamurov up as he searched for a way back into the contest. But Baikamurov stayed solid under pressure and never let the moment slip away.

One attack changed the final and the arena felt it instantly.

The gold also carried extra meaning for Baikamurov. After winning what had been his first and only Grand Slam medal at the 2025 Qazaqstan Grand Slam, he went one step further in 2026 with a home title. After the final, he said he was deeply proud to win in Kazakhstan and credited the crowd for giving him strength rather than pressure. He also said that using Qazaq kuresi techniques helped him maintain control in the match.

For European athletes, there was a notable result in the bronze medal contests. Michael Korrel of the Netherlands returned to the World Judo Tour podium with a hard-earned win over Idar Bifov. Korrel had not finished on a World Judo Tour podium since the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, so this medal clearly mattered.

Their contest shifted in ne-waza. Korrel attacked, and while that initial action did not score, the sequence continued on the ground and he worked from underneath into a hold. He wanted Ippon, but the 14-second control was scored as Waza-ari, giving him a crucial edge.

From there, Bifov pushed hard, but Korrel handled the pressure well. Known for enjoying a kumi-kata battle, the Dutch judoka used that phase to set up a Seoi-otoshi that closed the match. The relief on his face after the referee’s decision said plenty.

Simeon Catharina, also representing the Netherlands, was close to joining Korrel on the podium. Catharina arrived in Astana with strong consistency behind him, including several fifth-place finishes, a Grand Slam medal and a European silver. Against top seed Leonardo Goncalves of Brazil, he was right in the fight.

The bronze medal match was tight all the way, with both athletes carrying two Shido into golden score. In such a narrow contest, any mistake could decide everything. In the end, Goncalves scored yuko by turning Catharina over in a borderline moment near ne-waza, taking the medal and leaving Catharina in fifth place.

So the -100 kg category closed with a home triumph, a Dutch comeback to the podium, and another sign that the margins at this level are incredibly small. In Astana, one score, one hold and one turnover made all the difference.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation