Israeli judoka wins silver medal at Masters tournament in China

Israeli judoka Baruch Shmailov on Saturday won the silver medal at the Jodu Masters tournament in Guangzhou, China, after losing to Japanese contestant Joshiro Maruyama in the finals.

Shmailov, 24, defeated European champion Adrian Gomboc of Slovenia less than 3 minutes into the match in the quarterfinals of the 66 kg weight class, and later beat Daniel Cargnin of Brazil in the semifinals.

Maruyama, a Grand Prix gold medalist, ended Shmailov’s streak in the final match.

Israel’s representative in the women’s competition, Gili Cohen, finished fifth in the 52 kg weight class.

In October, Shmailov and Cohen, along with Timna Nelson Levy, all finished third in their weight classes at the Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam.

The Israeli judokas competed in the United Arab Emirates under their national flag for the first time.