Israeli judoka wins gold at Grand Slam in Baku
Gili Cohen's victory in the up to 52kg category brings her closer to representing Israel at Rio Olympics
Israeli judoka Gili Cohen won the gold medal at the Grand Slam Baku tournament in Azerbaijan on Friday, taking her one step closer to her desired goal of representing her country at the Rio Olympics this summer.
Cohen, 24, defeated Italian rival Odette Giuffrida in the up to 52kg category, winning the highest honor of her career so far.
The Grand Slam Baku is one of the last tournaments before the list of athletes who will compete in the Olympics is decided. Cohen’s victory significantly increases her chances of being part of the Israeli delegation to Rio de Janeiro.
Two weeks ago, Israeli judoka Ori Sasson won the silver medal in the European Judo Championship, losing to Frenchman Teddy Riner, who has won eight Olympic medals.
Sasson defeated a Romanian rival in only 15 seconds before losing to Riner.