Laborde Notches Second Straight 7th-Place at Paris Grand Slam

Maria Laborde (Kenosha, Wis. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) scored her second consecutive top-7 finish at the Paris Grand Slam over the weekend. The 2024 Olympian placed seventh in the field of 21 athletes in the women’s 48 kg division on Saturday, February 7.

The Paris Grand Slam is the traditional opening chapter of the World Judo Tour season and sets the tone for the months ahead. This year, the stakes become even higher as the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam in June will begin qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. A total of 488 athletes from 78 countries took part in the two-day Paris Grand Slam.

Laborde, ranked #9 in the world, opened the competition with a victory over Noura Salem (EGY), by scoring two yukos (partial point) in the opening minute of their round of 16 match.

Moving into the quarterfinals, Laborde faced world #7 and three-time Senior World medalist Wakana Koga (JPN). The contest went to the ground in the first 15 seconds and Koga was able to secure the victory with a pin just under a minute later.

The loss sent Laborde into the repechage against #8-ranked Xinran Hui (CHN), the 2024 Junior World Champion. As in her previous match, Laborde took the action to the ground early but was the victim of a pin by Hui at the 0:56 mark. Koga and Hui both went on to claim the bronze medals in the division.

Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, NJ / NYAC / Cranford JKC) and Dominic Rodriguez (Fort Myers, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center) were the other Americans to reach the round of 16.

Yonezuka defeated Daniel Szegedi (HUN) by yuko in the round of 32 before losing by ippon (instant win) to Dayyan Boulemtafes (FRA) in the round of 16.

Rodriguez scored two victories by ippon to advance to the round of 16. He defeated Valentin Houinato (BEN) in the round of 64 by sankaku jime (triangle choke) in the third minute, then threw Quentin Joubert (FRA) for ippon in the opening minute of their round of 32 contest. Rodriguez went the distance in the round of 16 with world #10 and two-time Olympian Abylaikhan Zhubanazar (KAZ), losing via yuko. Zhubanazar would claim a bronze medal.

The World Tour will resume in Uzbekistan with the Tashkent Grand Slam, Feb. 27-March 1.

FULL 2026 PARIS GRAND SLAM RESULTS

Top eight and U.S. results from Paris Grand Slam are as follows:

Men’s 60 kg
1. Balabay Aghayev (AZE)
2. Dilshot Khalmatov (UKR)
3. Izhak Ashpiz (ISR)
3. Aman Bakytzhan (KAZ)
5. Harim Lee (KOR)
5. Jonathan Charon (CUB)
7. David Starkel (SLO)
7. Ryuju Nagayama (JPN)
Also Competed: Christopher Velazco (Coral Springs, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center), 0-1

Women’s 48 kg
1. Shirine Boukli (FRA)
2. Wenna Zhuang (CHN)
3. Wakana Koga (JPN)
3. Xinran Hui (CHN)
5. Laura Martinez Abelenda (ESP)
5. Narantsetseg Ganbaatar (MGL)
7. Eva Perez Soler (ESP)
7. Maria Laborde (Kenosha, Wis. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center)

Men’s 66 kg
1. Takeshi Takeoka (JPN)
2. Channyeong Kim (KOR)
3. Ruslan Pashayev (AZE)
3. Kairi Kentoku (JPN)
5. Valerio Accogli (ITA)
5. Daikii Bouba (FRA)
7. Miguel Gago (POR)
7. Michael Fryer (GBR)
Also Competed: Ari Berliner (Cumming, Ga. / NYAC / Jason Morris Judo Center), 0-1; Bilegt Erdenetsogt (Albany, Calif. ), 0-1

Women’s 52 kg
1. Distria Krasniqi (KOS)
2. Ariane Toro Soler (ESP)
3. Mascha Ballhaus (GER)
3. Amandine Buchard (FRA)
5. Larissa Pimenta (BRA)
5. Seyun Jang (KOR)
7. Reka Pupp (HUN)
7. Fationa Kasapi (KOS)

Men’s 73 kg
1. Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov (UAE)
2. Manuel Lombardo (ITA)
3. Muhiddin Asadulloev (TJK)
3. Benjamin Levy (GBR)
5. Dayyan Boulemtafes (FRA)
5. Tatsuki Ishihara (JPN)
7. Yesset Kuanov (KAZ)
7. Adil Osmanov (MDA)
Also Competed: Jack Yonezuka (West Long Branch, N.J. / NYAC / Cranford JKC), 1-1; Steven Boldbaatar (Bellevue, Wash. / San Jose State University Judo), 1-1.

Women’s 57 kg
1. Sarah Leonie Cysique (FRA)
2. Akari Omori (JPN)
3. Momo Tamaoki (JPN)
3. Faiza Mokdar (FRA)
5. Chloe Devictor (FRA)
5. Mariana Esteves (GUI)
7. Adriana Rodriguez Salvador (ESP)
7. Timna Nelson Levy (ISR)

Men’s 81 kg
1. Yuhei Oino (JPN)
2. Zelim Tckaev (AZE)
3. Egor Sukhoparov (RUS)
3. Abylaikhan Zhubanazar (KAZ)
5. Yoshito Hojo (JPN)
5. Bernd Fasching (AUT)
7. Abubakr Sherov (TJK)
7. Kote Kapanadze (GEO)
Also Competed: Dominic Rodriguez (Fort Myers, Fla. / NYAC / Ki-Itsu-Sai National Training Center), 2-1; Ramon Hernandez, Jr. (Pompton Lakes, N.J. / North Jersey Judo), 0-1

Women’s 63 kg
1. Rafaela Silva (BRA)
2. Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo (MGL)
3. Kirari Yamaguchi (JPN)
3. Joanne Van Lieshout (NED)
5. Friederike Stolze (GER)
5. Iva Oberan (CRO)
7. Manon Deketer (FRA)
Also Competed: Emily Jaspe (Hialeah, Fla. / Ki-itsu-sai National Training Center), 0-1

Men’s 90 kg
1. Goki Tajima (JPN)
2. Hidetoshi Tokumochi (JPN)
3. Alexis Mathieu (FRA)
3. Egor Andoni (RUS)
5. Theodoros Tselidis (GRE)
5. Guilherme Schimidt (BRA)
7. Adam Kopecky (CZE)
7. Vadim Ghimbovschi (MDA)
Also Competed: Alexander Knauf (Yorkville, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen Brothers Judo), 1-1; John Jayne (Chicago, Ill.), 0-1

Women’s 70 kg
1. Szofi Ozbas (HUN)
2. April Lynn Fohouo (SUI)
3. Rin Maeda (JPN)
3. Ai Tsunoda Roustant (ESP)
5. Tais Pina (POR)
5. Irene Pedrotti (ITA)
7. Gioia Vetterli (SUI)
7. Adelina Novitsky (ISR)
Also Competed: Melissa Myers (Burnt Hills, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center), 0-1

Men’s 100 kg
1. Dota Arai (JPN)
2. Anton Savytskiy (UKR)
3. Niiaz Bilalov (RUS)
3. Nurlykhan Sharkhan (KAZ)
5. Gennaro Pirelli (ITA)
5. Simeon Catharina (NED)
7. Idar Bifov (RUS)
7. Leonardo Goncalves (BRA)

Women’s 78 kg
1. Alice Bellandi (ITA)
2. Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UAE)
3. Liz Ngelebeya (FRA)
3. Anna Monta Olek (GER)
5. Audrey Tcheumeo (FRA)
5. Alina Boehm (GER)
7. Yuliia Kurchenko (UKR)
7. Zhenzhao Ma (CHN)

Men’s +100 kg
1. Kanta Nakano (JPN)
2. Hyoga Ota (JPN)
3. Minjong Kim (KOR)
3. Jur Spijkers (NED)
5. Irakli Demetrashvili (GEO)
5. Artem Zolotukhin (RUS)
7. Seungyeob Lee (KOR)
7. John Messe A Bessong (CAN)

Women’s +78 kg
1. Romane Dicko (FRA)
2. Julia Tolofua (FRA)
3. Lea Fontaine (FRA)
3. Mao Arai (JPN)
5. Celia Cancan (FRA)
5. Hyeonji Lee (KOR)
7. Helena Vukovic (CRO)
7. Hayun Kim (KOR)