Keldiyorova is just making her way back to international competition and on this occasion did not reach the final block. Buchard did but the field looked more open than many may have thought at first.

Final: Amandine Buchard (FRA) vs Tihea Topolovec (CRO)

Amandine Buchard arrived searching for gold and came very close indeed. Unseeded, despite her incredible catalogue of accolades, she came through the draw with the perfect mix of positivity, strategy and skill.

In the final though, Tihea Topolovec was unwilling to revise her opponent’s CV and simply got to work. Inside the last minute, in an otherwise even contest, Topolovec found space for an uchi-mata that earned her a waza-ari. The French champion had no time to build a winning situation from such a deficit and had to accept the silver medal.

Tihea Topolovec delivered an exceptional day of judo to win her first ever grand slam medal, a gold, no less. From 65th place on the ranking, this is a spectacular result and one she was extremely happy with, “Winning my first-ever grand slam medal as a gold is an incredible feeling and I am very excited for the future. After moving down from -57 kg to 52 kg, I proved I can compete and win against the best. Abu Dhabi has always been a great city to visit and leaving with a medal makes it one of my favourites.”

Bronze medal contest: Tereza Bodnarova (CZE) vs Gefen Primo (ISR)

Fresh from the 2026 Baku World Championships, world silver medallist Gefen Primo arrive in Abu Dhabi with her motivation in tact. A single mistake during the preliminaries put her in line for a possible bronze, not quite where she wanted to be, but still hunting medals and showing that she is among the best in the category.

Primo claimed the first score of the contest, a waza-ari, but Tereza Bodnarova does not concede easily and she promptly upped her pace and scored twice, a yuko each time. Primo, feeling the pressure somewhat, moved into a new gear and threw for ippon. It was a clear answer to Bodnarova’s challenge and evidence that her training remains aligned with the demand of the World Judo Tour.

Bronze medal contest: Aleksandra Kaleta (POL) vs Róża Gyertyas (HUN)

Aleksandra Kaleta may have appeared to be the underdog on paper but she didn’t let that get the way of her strategy or pace. She attacked well and did her best to exert pressure on world bronze medallist Roza Gyertyas. However, the latter knows what’s needed to win at this level. She turned to ne-waza and a submission to ensure the medal would have her name on it.