Judoka from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan won seven medals at the inaugural Lausanne Grand Slam in Switzerland, collecting two golds, two silvers, and three bronzes.
The International Judo Federation event, held August 28-30 at the Vaudoise Arena, brought together 513 competitors from 77 countries. The official standings list five medals for Uzbekistan, one for Kazakhstan, and one for Tajikistan. Uzbekistan finished sixth overall, Kazakhstan ninth, and Tajikistan joint 22nd.
Uzbekistan Takes Five Medals
Central Asian athletes met in two finals and one bronze-medal contest. The men’s under-90 kg final was an all-Uzbek contest, with Umar Bozorov defeating teammate Nurbek Murtozoev. After a closely fought contest, Bozorov countered an attack and threw Murtozoev for ippon.
The victory gave Bozorov his second Grand Slam title. He had won his first in Tbilisi in 2025 before taking silver at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam later that year. Murtozoev reached the first Grand Slam final of his career after previously winning silver at the 2025 Asian Championships and bronze at the Tashkent Grand Slam.
Men’s -90 kg final: Umar Bozorov (Uzbekistan) vs Nurbek Murtozoev (Uzbekistan) Image: IJF
Uzbekistan’s other medals came from Arslonbek Tojiev, who took silver in the under-81 kg division, and bronze medallists Samariddin Kuchkarov and Ernazar Sarsenbaev.
Tojiev arrived in Lausanne with an established record at senior international level. He took silver at the Tashkent Grand Slam and bronze at the Asian Championships in 2025 and finished fifth at that year’s World Championships. His Lausanne run ended against Kazakhstan’s Abylaikhan Zhubanazar in the second final involving two Central Asian judoka.
Kuchkarov, 20, defeated Kazakhstan’s Sherzod Davlatov in the under-60 kg bronze-medal contest. Almost two minutes into golden score, Kuchkarov used sumi-otoshi to record the decisive yuko. The result continued a strong year in which he had already taken bronze at both the Tbilisi Grand Slam and the Asian Championships.
Sarsenbaev, 25, secured under-100 kg bronze against Japan’s Tetta Hamada with a sumi-gaeshi. He had taken silver at the Tashkent Grand Slam and bronze at the Asian Championships earlier this year.
Zhubanazar Wins Kazakhstan’s Gold
In the under-81 kg final, Abylaikhan Zhubanazar and Tojiev remained scoreless for much of the contest, with each receiving one shido. In the closing stages, Zhubanazar used a de-ashi-harai to record the decisive yuko and claim his first Grand Slam title.
The 26-year-old Kazakh judoka had already taken bronze at the Paris Grand Slam and Asian Championships earlier this year, following another Grand Slam bronze at the Qazaqstan Barysy event in 2025. His Lausanne victory moved him to eighth in the IJF world rankings in the under-81 kg division.
Men’s -81 kg final: Abylaikhan Zhubanazar (Kazakhstan) vs Arslonbek Tojiev (Uzbekistan); Image: The National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan
“Winning my first Grand Slam gold is an incredible feeling,” Zhubanazar said after the final, adding that the result gave him confidence ahead of the World Championships in Baku.
Asadulloev Extends Strong Tajik Season
Tajikistan added the region’s seventh medal through Muhiddin Asadulloev, who took bronze in the under-73 kg division. The 20-year-old defeated Kazbek Naguchev of the United Arab Emirates after scoring two yukos from counterattacks.
The result extended a strong season for Asadulloev. He won the Dushanbe Grand Slam and Asian Championships earlier in 2026 and took bronze at the Paris Grand Slam. Following Lausanne, the IJF rankings place him first in the world in the under-73 kg division.
Men’s -73 kg bronze contest: Muhiddin Asadulloev (Tajikstan) vs Kazbek Naguchev (UAE) Image: IJF
Kazakhstan Leads Deaf Judo Masters
Kazakhstan also dominated the separately contested Ecole Mont-Olivet Deaf Judo Masters Top 18, held alongside the Lausanne Grand Slam at the Vaudoise Arena. Kazakh judoka won seven of the competition’s 12 gold medals, including four consecutive men’s titles from under-66 kg through under-90 kg and three women’s titles, making Kazakhstan the event’s leading nation.
Central Asian Presence Beyond the Tatami
The regional presence in Lausanne extended to the medal ceremonies. Azizjon Kamilov, president of the Uzbekistan Judo Federation and a member of the IJF Executive Committee, presented the awards following the under-90 kg final.
Officials Azizjon Kamilov, Odil Abdurakhanov and Oybek Kasimov at the draw for the 2026 Tashkent Grand Slam. Image: IJF
Kamilov has led the Uzbekistan Judo Federation since December 2018. During his tenure, Tashkent joined the Grand Slam circuit and hosted the 2022 World Judo Championships.
Timur Kemell, an entrepreneur of Kazakhstan origin, attending Lausanne as an IJF guest, also took part in the presentations. He and Christoph Santchi, director of Ecole Mont-Olivet, presented the medals, cheques and awards in the women’s under-78 kg category, won by Germany’s Anna Monta Olek.
Women’s -78 kg medal ceremony: Timur Kemell, IJF Guest, and Christoph Santchi, Director of Ecole Mont-Olivet, presented the medals, prize cheques and flowers. Image: IJF
Kemell has been involved in international judo activities and development beyond Lausanne. He has appeared as an IJF guest at World Judo Tour events, including the Paris Grand Slam earlier this year.
His involvement has also extended to judo development. During a visit to Nepal, Kemell supported the Everest Judo Club and the local judo community by providing essential and necessary supplies. The IJF reported on the initiative in April.
Attention now turns to the Hungary Grand Slam in Budapest from September 11 to 13, followed by the World Senior Championships in Baku. Individual competition is scheduled for October 4 to 10, with the mixed-team event on October 11.
Lausanne showed competitive depth across three Central Asian teams and several weight categories, with established judoka adding to their records and younger competitors emerging further onto the international stage. Budapest and Baku will provide the next tests of whether those results can be sustained against the world’s leading judoka.
