Nurali Emomali gives host Tajikistan Day‑1 gold at Dushanbe Grand Slam

Judo crowds can get loud anywhere, but home Grand Slams are a different thing entirely. That was the setup in Dushanbe on May 1, and Nurali Emomali actually delivered the ending the arena wanted. He won the men’s -66 kg title on Day 1 of the IJF Dushanbe Grand Slam, giving Tajikistan its signature moment of the opening session in front of a packed home crowd. (ijf.org) ### What happened in Dushanbe? Emomali took gold in the -66 kg division, beating Azizbek Ortikov of Uzbekistan in the final. IJF’s event results list Emomali first, Ortikov second, with Russian judokas German Kobets and Iago Abuladze taking the two bronze medals. That made Emomali the only Tajik gold medalist on Day 1 — and the biggest home storyline of the day. (ijf.org) ### Why was Emomali the focal point? Because this was not some surprise run from nowhere. Emomali came into the event as the world No. 2 at -66 kg on the IJF ranking list, so the pressure was obvious from the start. In a home Grand Slam, that ranking cuts both ways — it makes you the favorite, but it also means everyone in the building expects you to finish the job. He did. (ijf.org) ### How did the final go? The official IJF write-up paints it as a fast, forceful finish. Emomali countered Ortikov almost immediately for a score that was close to ippon, then stayed in control and never really let the final drift back into doubt. The key thing is not just that he won, but that he won like the crowd hoped he would — assertively, without giving away the moment. (ijf.org) ### Why does the venue matter so much? Because Dushanbe clearly showed up for this tournament. IJF’s Day 1 coverage describes spectators filling the Qasri Tennis arena from hours before the first contests, and Emomali was the athlete the crowd most wanted to see. In judo, that atmosphere matters — not like a scoreboard boost, but l(ijf.org)omali looked energized by it. (ijf.org) ### Was Tajikistan’s day bigger than one medal? Yes — even if Emomali was the headline. Tajikistan also picked up a bronze through 18-year-old Loiq Kudbudinov in the men’s -60 kg class, which helped the host nation finish Day 1 with one gold and one bronze. In the medal table after the opening day, Tajikistan sat alongsi(ijf.org)ederation and Mongolia. (ijf.org) ### Who else won on Day 1? The other Day 1 gold medalists were Ayub Bliev in men’s -60 kg, Anudari Jamsran in women’s -48 kg, Odette Giuffrida in women’s -52 kg, and Olga Mukhina in women’s -57 kg. That matters because it shows Emomali’s win was part of a full opening-day program, but still the one that defined the local mood in the building. (ijf.org) ### Why does this result matter beyond one night? Grand Slams are not minor stops — they are major ranking events on the IJF circuit. Emomali had already won in Dushanbe in 2025 and finished third at the 2026 Tashkent Grand Slam, so this home gold reinforces that he is not just a crowd favorite but one of the division’s real anchors. Basically, (ijf.org)at the same time. (ijf.org) ### Bottom line The clean version is simple. Tajikistan needed a home hero on opening day, and Nurali Emomali was exactly that — the favorite, the focal point, and the gold medalist. In a sport built on tiny margins, that kind of expected win still means a lot when the whole arena is waiting for it.