Two bronze medals for British Judo on final day of IBSA Grand Prix Warwick
On the final day of the IBSA Grand Prix Warwick Chris Skelley and Elliot Stewart both claimed bronze medals in the final Paralympic qualification event before the Tokyo Games this summer.
World number 1 Chris Skelley had an opening round bye before defeating Oleksandr Pominov (UKR) with a newaza strangle. However, a mistake in the semi-final against Sulaymon Alaev (UZB) saw him defeated, dropping into the bronze medal match to face Sharif Khalilov (UZB).
With nothing between the two fighters at the end of the mandatory 4 minutes, the contest entered Golden Score where Skelley scored with a tomenage to claim the bronze medal.
In the -90kg category Elliot Stewart had an opening round bye before defeating Panamerican Champion Arthur Cavalcante Da Silva (BRA) to set up a Semi-Final contest against European silver medallist Helios Latchoumanaya (FRA).
Defeat against Latchoumanaya progressed Stewart to the bronze medal match to face teammate Cameron Bradley.
Bradley threw Ricky Ties (USA) with a drop seionage in the opening round before being defeated by Paralympic silver medallist Oleksandr Nazarenko (UKR) in the Quarter-Final. Victory in the Repechage against Hector Espinoza (VEN) set up a bronze medal contest against teammate Stewart.
A single waza-ari score was enough to separate the two fighters in the bronze medal match with Stewart taking the bronze and Bradley finishing 5th.
Jack Hodgson had an opening round bye before facing Paralympic bronze medallist Yordani Fernandez-Sastre (CUB) who threw him for ippon with a sasae-tsurikomi-ashi.
In the bronze medal match Hodgson faced Wilians Araujo (BRA). Hodgson was by far the more dominant fighter but with no score on the board and each fighter with two waza-ari scores Hodgson was countered and thrown for ippon.
In the -81kg category Dan Powell defeated the current Panamerican silver medallist Gerardo Rodriguez Reyes (CUB) in the Quarter Final after an opening round bye.
He was withdrawn from his semi-final contest against top seed Jung Min Lee (KOR) as a precaution, meaning he finished 5th.
Meanwhile Molloy was defeated by Galymzhan Smagululy (KAZ) in the opening round after being countered following a mistake.
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