Hershko exits in Mongolia quarterfinals as Israel finishes with one bronze

Israel ended the Mongolia Grand Slam in judo with one medal, a bronze won by Itzhak Ashpiz in the under-60 kg division. The tournament, which concluded on Sunday, was also the opening event of the Olympic qualification period for Los Angeles 2028.

On the final day, the heavyweight categories were contested. Raz Hershko, competing in the over-78 kg class, was disqualified in the quarterfinals and eliminated after performing a technique that endangered her Japanese opponent. The report says the Japanese fighter’s arm was turned upward while being held by Hershko, with the wrist facing the mat, creating a lock that risked breaking the arm.

Israel’s other women’s heavyweight entrant, Yuli Alma Mishiner, lost her quarterfinal against Croatia’s Vukovic after receiving three penalties, then was beaten by ippon in her first repechage bout. In the men’s divisions, Yisoff Simin lost in the round of 16 to a Kazakh opponent, who scored two wazari points, while Raam Friedman Zilberstein fell in his opening match to France’s Matteo, who also scored two wazari.

Roy Sivan beat a local opponent in his first match in the same weight class, but then lost by ippon to a French judoka. Yehonatan Albaz was defeated in his opening bout in the under-73 kg category by a Canadian opponent on ippon. In the under-70 kg division, Maya Gushen lost her quarterfinal to a German opponent by ippon and then was beaten again by Dutch judoka Van Dijk in repechage. Adalina Novitski, in the same weight class, lost in the round of 16 to a Croatian opponent after golden score, while Gushen picked up her second and third penalties and was eliminated. Karem Primo lost her opening under-63 kg match to France’s Decarter, who won by yuko.