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Israeli judoka Sagi Muki wins gold at Tel Aviv Grand Slam
Martial artist takes top place in the under 81 kg category, winning his first individual medal in nearly two years
Sagi Muki of Israel (white) reacts after defeating Vedat Albayrak of Turkey (not pictured), at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam Judo Championship on February 17, 2023. (Jack Guez/AFP)
Judoka Sagi Muki won a gold medal Friday at Grand Slam Tel Aviv, picking up his first individual medal in nearly two years.
Muki finished first in the under 81 kilogram category, defeating his Turkish opponent Vedat Albayrak 12 seconds after the bout began.
He reached the final after besting four other opponents.
His last individual medal was in April 2021, when he won bronze at the European Championships. That summer, he was part of the Israeli team that won a bronze medal in mixed judo at the Tokyo Olympics.
Muki, who was the world champion in 2019, now has a career total of nine Grand Slam metals.
On the women’s side, Gili Sharir finished fifth in the under 63 kg category and Maya Goshen was seventh in the up to 70 kg field.
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