Olympic champion Yeldos Smetov set for return at Qingdao Grand Prix
The International Judo Federation (IJF) has conducted the draw for the Qingdao Grand Prix in China, where Olympic champion Yeldos Smetov will return to competition for the first time in nearly two years, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Smetov has not competed since winning the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Qingdao Grand Prix, scheduled for June 26, will mark the decorated Kazakh judoka’s return to international competition.
Smetov will open his campaign in Qingdao against 19-year-old Chinese judoka Jiahao Sun in the men's under-60 kg event. Sun is currently ranked 77th in the world, while Smetov has fallen to 40th after nearly two years away from competition.
Twenty-year-old Talgat Orynbassar, ranked 21st in the world, will join Smetov in representing Kazakhstan in the men's under-60 kg division. He is set to face the winner of the opening-round bout between Joshua Katz of New Zealand and Ksawery Ignasiak of Poland.
The division will also feature several of the world’s leading judokas, including world No. 1 Balabay Aghayev of Azerbaijan.
In addition to Smetov, Kazakhstan's squad for the Qingdao Grand Prix includes World Championships medalist Abiba Abuzhakynova and Olympic medalist Gusman Kyrgyzbayev.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan’s young boxing team had finished the Asian U17 Boxing Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with a total of 16 medals, including eight gold.