Grand Slam in Astana: first place for Scutto and Giuffrida. Precious points gained towards the Olympic ranking

The sixth Grand Slam of the season got off to the best possible start for the national judo team.

The first day of competition at the Barys Arena in Astana (Kazakhstan) saw two podium places achieved by Italy.

Assunta Scutto and Odette Giuffrida (photo ANSA) took first place in the -48kg and -52kg classes respectively.

In addition to the title, they also seized precious points towards the qualification ranking for the Summer Olympic Games in Paris 2024 in the final event with a half point.

Our athletes, after winning Pool A, also performed brilliantly in the final round of their respective weight categories.

The Neapolitan athlete won the semi-final against Kristina Dudina by ippon. Later, in the final, the Golden Score was necessary for the number three seed – in a delicate situation with two warnings apiece – who managed to knock out the tough Spanish competitor Laura Martinez Abelenda.

The Roman – fresh from her nomination as flag-bearer at the forthcoming European Games in Krakow together with archer Mauro Nespoli – got the better of Azerbaijan's Gultaj Mammadalyieva in the penultimate battle, who failed to make the Golden Score due to an excess of warnings. In the subsequent gold medal match, she triumphed on points in a hard-fought contest against the Japanese Ryoko Takeda, against whom she had previously lost.

Lastly, still in the -48kg class, a fine fifth place for Francesca Milani, who in the third-place playoff succumbed on points to Uzbek athlete Khalimajon Kurbonova.