An impressive achievement for the young Israeli judoka: Izhak Ashpiz won the gold medal Friday evening at the Budapest Grand Slam in the under-60 kg weight class.
Ashipz began his day in the second round, where he defeated Uzbekistan’s Doston Ruziev by ippon. In the round of 16, the Israeli continued his impressive form with another ippon, this time against the Netherlands’ Emiel Jaring.
Another impressive achievement. Ashpiz
(Photo: Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE / AFP)
In the quarterfinals, Ashpiz faced Portugal’s B. Tralhao Fernandes. Two yuko were enough for him to secure the victory and advance to the next round. In the semifinals, he faced Ukraine’s Artem Lesiuk, scoring two yuko to his opponent’s one to claim the victory and advance to the final.
In the gold-medal bout, the Israeli faced France’s Enzo Jean. Ashpiz capitalized on a mistake by the Frenchman as he attempted a technique, quickly responding with a perfect counter and throwing him onto his back for an ippon that secured the gold medal.
The victory comes just about two weeks after Gefen Primo won gold at the Grand Slam in Lausanne, Switzerland. Primo, who also competed in Budapest, finished seventh this time.
Israel national team coach Shany Hershko was moved by Ashpiz’s achievement and emphasized the progress he had made since his injury.
“This is a very significant achievement for Izhak. Coming back from an injury and winning gold at a Grand Slam says a great deal about his character, resilience, discipline and commitment to the process. Izhak worked extremely hard to return to this level and Friday he was rewarded for that work.”
Ashpiz said: “This is a great gift for me and for the country on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. I went through a difficult period, so to come back to competition like this and finish it with a gold medal is a very special feeling.”