Japan continued its domination in Ulaanbaatar, while Mongolia welcomed Lavjargal's great gold
The second competition day of the Grand Slam tournament in Ulaanbaatar confirmed the two main stories of this edition: the exceptional depth of Japanese judo and the unpredictability of the men's competition in the middleweight categories. According to official data from the International Judo Federation, the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2026 was held from 19 to 21 June in the capital of Mongolia, with 454 competitors from 58 countries on five continents taking part. The programme of the second day included the women's categories up to 63 and up to 70 kilograms, as well as the men's categories up to 73 and up to 81 kilograms, which, even before the final block, announced one of the densest and tactically most interesting parts of the tournament.
The competition in Mongolia also had broader significance than simply winning medals. The IJF presented the tournament as the beginning of the qualification period for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028, so the points from Ulaanbaatar immediately gained additional weight in the long ranking that will be built over the next two years. In such a context, it is especially important that both confirmed world champions and athletes who broke through the barrier of the greatest Grand Slam successes for the first time stood on the podium. The day thus combined the expected victories of Haruka Kaju and Shiho Tanaka with the home celebration of Ankhzaya Lavjargal and a strong performance by the Korean trump card Lee Joonhwan.
Kaju remained untouchable in the category up to 63 kilograms
In the women's category up to 63 kilograms, the central figure was Haruka Kaju, the Japanese representative who arrived in Ulaanbaatar as one of the most stable competitors on the IJF World Judo Tour. According to the report of the International Judo Federation, Mongolia's hope Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo, the top seed in the category, was stopped already in the quarter-final against the Austrian representative Lubjana Piovesana, who found a waza-ari in golden score and eliminated the favourite of the home crowd. That outcome opened up the draw, but it did not disrupt Kaju's path, as she continued to build pressure through the elimination stage in the style characteristic of the Japanese school of judo.
The final brought a duel between Kaju and the Dutchwoman Joanne van Lieshout, the 2024 world champion and one of the most dangerous opponents in the category. The IJF states that the contest remained even for a long time, with a pronounced battle for grip control and transitions towards ne-waza, an area in which Kaju is particularly effective. Van Lieshout managed to avoid the most dangerous situations on the ground, but gradually entered an increasing number of tactical problems. In the closing stage, the third penalty decided the contest and brought the Japanese judoka a new gold medal, the fourth Grand Slam title of her career and a continuation of her unbeaten run on the IJF scene.
After the final, according to the IJF's publication, Kaju stressed that in Mongolia it was important for her to show progress in standing techniques as well, and not only in ne-waza. Such a statement describes her current status well: she already has a recognisable style, but she continues to develop it in order to remain a step ahead of opponents who are analysing her more and more carefully. The bronze medals in the same category were won by Dali Liluashvili and Lubjana Piovesana. Liluashvili stopped Lkhagvatogoo in the bronze-medal contest after another period of extra time, while Piovesana confirmed against Sare-Joy Bauer that her victory over the home seed was not a chance moment, but part of a strong tournament performance.
Tanaka confirmed her status as world champion
Japanese domination continued in the category up to 70 kilograms, where Shiho Tanaka won gold and gave Japan its sixth title of the tournament by the end of the second day. According to the IJF report, the category was of exceptionally high quality, with several world and Olympic medallists, which made Tanaka's success more important than the mere fact that she entered the final as the reigning world champion. Australia had a strong day through Aoife Coughlan, who, as the top seed, defeated Delger Jargalsaikhan, Sinem Oruç, Sanne van Dijke and Miriam Butkereit in succession and secured a place in the final.
In the lower half of the draw, Tanaka made use of the opening in the competition after several favourites were eliminated. The IJF also points out that Japanese male and female judoka sometimes compete less often than some of their international rivals, which means that the world ranking does not always fully reflect the real strength of the Japanese selection. In the final against Coughlan, one yuko proved decisive, enough for Tanaka to confirm her status as the leading competitor and win gold in a contest in which the Australian representative offered strong resistance. The victory was not spectacular in terms of the difference in points, but it was important because of rhythm control and the ability to maintain tactical discipline in a tight final.
According to the IJF, Tanaka linked her arrival in Mongolia with the first qualification points towards the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Her performance can therefore also be read as an early message to the competition in the category up to 70 kilograms: the world champion is not entering the new cycle merely as the bearer of a reputation, but as an athlete who immediately collects points and confirms her form. Bronze was won by Sanne van Dijke and Lara Cvjetko. Van Dijke was better in the Dutch duel against Margit de Voogd, while Cvjetko reached the medal after Miriam Butkereit received a third penalty.
Lavjargal gave Mongolia the most emotional moment of the day
The greatest eruption of emotion in the hall came in the men's category up to 73 kilograms, where Ankhzaya Lavjargal won gold for Mongolia. According to the official IJF report, that category brought a series of turnarounds from the very beginning. One of the favourites, Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov from the United Arab Emirates, was stopped already in his first contest by Italy's Manuel Lombardo, who broke open the tactical fight with an attractive ura-nage. Although Lombardo did not continue to the final stages, his success marked the direction of a day in which the seeds had no secure protection from surprises.
The American Jack Yonezuka took advantage of the open draw and, with victory over Uranbayar Odgerel, reached a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career. The IJF states that before Ulaanbaatar he had 25 appearances at Grand Slam tournaments, but no medal, with fifth and seventh places as his best results. In the lower half of the draw, Lavjargal came through a series of tight contests and defeated the young British representative Irakli Goginashvili in the semi-final. In doing so, he himself reached his first Grand Slam final, but with the additional pressure of competing in front of a home crowd in a country where judo is one of the most followed sports.
The final between Lavjargal and Yonezuka was physically demanding and tactically closed, and after four minutes of regular time it continued into golden score. The IJF describes how, after more than two additional minutes, the Mongolian found the right moment for an uchi-mata and threw his American opponent, allowing the hall to welcome the host nation's first gold of the tournament. After the contest, according to the IJF, Lavjargal emphasised that victory at an Olympic qualification tournament in front of the home crowd was especially important to him for the continuation of his path towards Los Angeles. Bronze medals were won by Victor Skerlev of Bulgaria and Uranbayar Odgerel of Mongolia, so the home team took both gold and bronze in the same category.
Lee stopped Arbuzov and ended the day with a spectacular ippon
The category up to 81 kilograms brought one of the sporting highlights of the day. According to the IJF, Timur Arbuzov arrived in Ulaanbaatar as the top seed, the world champion from Budapest and the winner of the continental championship in Georgia earlier this season. His first performances confirmed his form and attractive style, but the semi-final against Lee Joonhwan of the Republic of Korea changed the direction of the category. Lee, a world and Olympic medallist, scored twice in a high-level contest and left the reigning world champion without a place in the final.
In the other half of the draw, the Japanese representative Yuhei Oino quickly settled the semi-final against Canada's François Gauthier Drapeau. The IJF states that Oino executed a de-ashi-harai for ippon already in the first grip exchange, which opened his path to the final against Lee. The final contest offered another markedly technical moment: Lee threw Oino for ippon with a powerful change of direction and ko-uchi-gari. With that, the Korean fighter completed a perfect day and won gold in a category that had an exceptionally strong line-up.
After the victory, according to the IJF, Lee stressed that the celebration in Ulaanbaatar does not give him the right to relax because his opponents will now study him even more thoroughly. That message shows how, in the new Olympic cycle, victories immediately turn into a new kind of pressure. After his defeat in the semi-final, Arbuzov returned to win bronze by defeating Gauthier Drapeau, while the other third place was won by Mihajlo Simin of Serbia. In the contest against the experienced Belgian Matthias Casse, Simin withstood the pressure and, in golden score, reached a yuko with seoi-otoshi, which brought him his second Grand Slam medal already in the early phase of his senior career.
The broader ranking confirms Japanese depth
According to the official IJF overview, Japan finished the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2026 at the top of the medal table with eight gold and two silver medals. The Republic of Korea took second place with two golds, one silver and one bronze, while Italy, Azerbaijan and Mongolia followed among the top five. These data confirm what was clearly visible already on the second day: the Japanese team did not depend on one name or one category, but built its medals across a wide range of weight groups and through athletes of different profiles.
For Mongolia, the tournament had a different kind of value. Lavjargal's gold did not only improve the host nation's ranking, but became a symbolic moment at the beginning of the new Olympic cycle. In a country with a deep judo tradition, the home Grand Slam has special emotional power, and victory in the final after extra time further intensified the impression. The IJF overview of the competition shows that the home athletes finished the tournament with one gold and two bronze medals, which kept Mongolia in the upper part of the medal table.
The second day in Ulaanbaatar therefore brought a clear balance between confirmation of the hierarchy and the opening of new stories. Kaju and Tanaka showed why the Japanese representatives remain the benchmark in their categories, Lee sent a strong message to the competition up to 81 kilograms with his victory over Arbuzov, and Lavjargal used the home tatami for the greatest moment of his Grand Slam career. As the qualifications for Los Angeles 2028 progress, the points from Mongolia could prove important not only for the ranking, but also for the self-confidence of the athletes who opened a new Olympic path there.
Sources:
- International Judo Federation – official overview of the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2026, dates, number of competitors, category schedule and medal table (link)
- International Judo Federation – official results of the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2026 by category (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on the category up to 63 kilograms and Haruka Kaju's victory (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on the category up to 70 kilograms and Shiho Tanaka's victory (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on the category up to 73 kilograms and Ankhzaya Lavjargal's gold (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on the category up to 81 kilograms and Lee Joonhwan's victory (link)
- International Judo Federation – context of the beginning of the qualification period for Los Angeles 2028 (link)