Zagreb Day Two: Loladze, Klimkait, Gauthier Drapeau and Silva Strike Gold as Oberan Lifts Croatia

Day two of the 2026 Zagreb Grand Prix produced four new champions, two golden-score finals and a home bronze in 23 seconds. At Arena Zagreb on Saturday, 14 November, Georgia's Giorgi Loladze, Canada's Jessica Klimkait and Francois Gauthier Drapeau, and Brazil's Nauana Silva all won gold in the -73kg, -63kg, -81kg and -70kg categories. Brazil and Canada now lead the medal table with two golds each.

The tournament, held from 13 to 15 November, has drawn 539 judoka from 68 nations. It is the final Grand Prix of the 2026 IJF World Tour and part of qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics. Day one produced five gold medallists from five nations, with Kazakhstan on top. Day two changed that picture.

Loladze wins a final nobody predicted

The men's -73kg final was, in the IJF's own words, a final no one expected. Unseeded Giorgi Loladze won four contests to reach the semi-final, where he beat Kosovo's Akil Gjakova by ippon. Ireland's Joshua Green was equally remarkable, winning a tight semi-final in golden score against France's Maxime Gobert.

The final was dynamic and physical, with only a single shido on each side at the end of regulation. As the second minute of extra time was coming to a close, Loladze scored a yuko with an o-uchi-gari. It was his first gold on the World Judo Tour, and Green's first medal at this level.

"I am very overwhelmed! I have won a gold medal at an IJF tournament for the first time," Loladze said. "This is just the beginning of everything."

Gjakova took bronze by throwing Spain's Anton Shuhalieiev for ippon, while Gobert beat his French team-mate Nathan Cadignan with a waza-ari and an arm-lock.

Klimkait completes her comeback at -63kg

Canada's Jessica Klimkait, the 2021 world champion at -57kg, continued her climb in the -63kg division. Her route to the final included a win over Joanne Van Lieshout of the Netherlands, the 2024 world champion, settled by a single yuko in the semi-final.

Slovenia's Kaja Kajzer Zabkar beat home favourite Iva Oberan by a yuko to reach the final. The final began as a long battle for the sleeve, with a shido each. Klimkait's seoi-otoshi was escaped, and Kajzer Zabkar then broke her posture without scoring. With Kajzer Zabkar carrying a second shido and forced forward, Klimkait drove underneath her with 14 seconds left and scored a waza-ari with her tokui-waza, her favourite technique.

"It feels really nice to make such a quick comeback after a summer surgery," Klimkait said. "My elbow is now working at 100 percent."

Van Lieshout recovered to take bronze with three yukos against Hungary's Anna Kriza. The other bronze produced the loudest moment of the day.

Oberan gives Croatia its first medal in 23 seconds

Hundreds of school children had arrived for the final block, clutching posters and waving lights, and they were there for one contest above all: Oberan against Kazakhstan's Esmigul Kuyulova for -63kg bronze. Oberan needed just 23 seconds, throwing Kuyulova with a huge osoto-gari for ippon and giving Croatia its first medal of the tournament.

Oberan had beaten Kriza in the quarter-finals before Kajzer Zabkar stopped her in the semi-final.

Silva strikes late at -70kg

Brazil's Nauana Silva won the women's -70kg gold with a finish that will be replayed for some time. She and Poland's Aleksandra Kowalewska reached the final after the more decorated names in the group failed to deliver their best day.

Silva attacked powerfully from the start, and Kowalewska picked up two shidos under the pressure. With 46 seconds left, Silva hooked in and produced what the IJF called the lowest uchi-mata imaginable, rolling her opponent onto her back for ippon.

"This is my first medal in Croatia and my first gold on the World Judo Tour," Silva said.

Switzerland's April Lynn Fohouo took bronze, her early yuko against Van Dijke proving the winning score. Israel's Maya Goshen won the other bronze against France's Clemence Eme, who picked up a third shido in golden score. Cvjetko, the double world silver medallist, finished seventh.

Gauthier Drapeau survives a scare to win -81kg gold

Canada's second gold came from Francois Gauthier Drapeau at -81kg, and it was almost lost in golden score. The top seed won his first three fights by ippon and his semi-final by waza-ari against Italy's Bright Maddaloni-Nosa. In the final against Uzbekistan's Murodjon Yuldoshev, both men had two penalties by full time. A minute and a half into extra time, Gauthier Drapeau attacked, failed, and saw Yuldoshev jump on his arm.

"It looked to be all over but somehow the Canadian escaped, narrowly," the IJF reported. "He used his reprieve perfectly and foot-swept Yuldoshev for a yuko to win the gold, his first in a grand prix."

"I'm feeling so good, because my last tournaments were not what I wanted and today I threw everyone," Gauthier Drapeau said. "You'll see me next in Japan, in Tokyo."

Ukraine's Mykhailo Svidrak won bronze with an o-uchi-gari for ippon against France's Arnaud Aregba, while Canada's Olivier Gagnon won his first World Judo Tour medal after Maddaloni-Nosa took a third shido with 16 seconds left.

Brazil and Canada lead as the heavyweights arrive

After two days, Brazil lead the medal table with two golds and one silver, ahead of Canada on the same number of golds but no silver. Kazakhstan, who led after day one, have slipped to third with one gold and two silvers.

Day two rewarded judoka who stayed calm when contests went long. The Grand Prix concludes on Sunday, 15 November, with the men's -90kg, -100kg and +100kg categories and the women's -78kg and +78kg divisions.