Saiyin Jirigala gives home crowd China's first gold medal

Saiyin Jirigala from Inner Mongolia autonomous region triumphed at home against former Pan American Championships winner Arthur Margelidon from Canada. Jirigala managed to score waza-ari following 47 seconds of overtime.

The judo star earned China’s first gold at the Grand Prix and the loudest ovation from local supporters during the men’s 73kg final.

During the post-match interview, Jirigala said he felt over the moon and thanked fans for their incredible support. 

“Today we had many children in the crowd enjoying watching the sport and they can see the importance of judo to the region. I hope they will be inspired by the efforts of the Chinese judo team at the Grand Prix,” he added.

During the first semi-final, Olympic bronze medalist Dirk Van Tichelt from Belgium succumbed to Jirigala who won by waza-ari (the second highest score a martial arts athlete can achieve) after 43 seconds of golden score. 

In the second semi-final, former World Judo Masters winner Denis Iartcev from Russia was shocked by Margelidon who won by ippon (the highest score that can be achieved) having initially been a waza-ari down.

The first bronze medal contest was won by world number 13 Denis Iartcev who topped number one seed Tommy Macias from Sweden. 

The second bronze medal was clinched by 23-year-old Mohammad Mohammadi Barimanlou from Iran who outfoxed Van Tichelt. 

Born in 1989 in Inner Mongolia, Saiyin Jirigala was first talent spotted aged just 14, and then began to train professionally. In 2010, he claimed fifth place at the China National Judo Championships, and managed to win the competition a year later.

In 2013 he won silver at the World Military Championships in Astana. He demonstrated his impressive skills in the judo U73kg and qualified for the Olympic Games. Jirigala won his first Grand Prix in 2015 in Mongolia. He won bronze at the Grand Slam in Baku in 2016 and silver at the Grand Prix Qingdao. 

The 2017 World Judo Grand Prix (China) took place in Hohhot from June 30 to July 2, with a total of 166 athletes from 24 countries competing for the coveted prizes in 14 different events.

Saiyin Jirigala (left) fights Arthur Margelidon during the men’s 73kg final at the 2017 World Judo Grand Prix held in Hohhot on July 1. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn]

Saiyin Jirigala celebrates after outfoxing Canada’s Arthur Margelidon during the men’s 73kg final at the 2017 World Judo Grand Prix held in Hohhot on July 1. [Photo/Xinhua]

Saiyin Jirigala attends the awards ceremony after winning the men’s 73kg final at the 2017 World Judo Grand Prix held in Hohhot on July 1. [Photo/Xinhua]