National Judokas Shine at Qingdao Grand Prix with Four Medals, Silver in Prague

World Judo Championships July 2025, Budapest

Four Hungarian judokas reached the podium at the Qingdao Grand Prix, part of the World Tour series, while the delegation also brought home a silver medal from the European Open in Prague.

The Qingdao Grand Prix marked the return of the World Tour to China after a six-year hiatus, with the last edition held before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ranking-point event attracted 200 athletes from 26 countries, including a nine-member Hungarian squad.

In the women’s 52 kg category, world bronze medalist Róza Gyertyás entered the competition in the quarterfinals, defeating North Korea’s Kim by penalties. She was later stopped in the semifinals by Japan’s Takeuchi, who went on to win gold. In the bronze medal match, Róza Gyertyás dominated China’s Jiang, scoring a waza-ari early and securing victory with an armlock in groundwork. The 23-year-old claimed her fourth World Tour medal.

In the men’s 90 kg division, two Hungarians—Gergely Nerpel and Péter Sáfrány (Miskolci VSC)—faced each other in the quarterfinals. Péter Sáfrány narrowly won the close bout with a yuko, but both advanced to bronze medal matches.

Both matches went into golden score: Gergely Nerpel defeated Poland’s Drzymal with an ippon, while Péter Sáfrány overcame local favorite Hebilige Bu. It marked Gergely Nerpel’s first World Tour medal and the third for Péter Sáfrány at this elite level.

Zsombor Vég, competing in the men’s 100 kg category, bulldozed through his opponents en route to the final. He secured ippon victories over China’s Wang, European silver medalist Kuczera of Poland, and Tajikistan’s two-time Asian bronze medalist Madzhidov. In the final, however, Vég was narrowly edged out by Russia’s Bilalov with a waza-ari, earning his fifth career World Tour podium finish.

Meanwhile, at the lower-tier European Open in Prague, Hungary’s top performance came from Benedek Tóth, who took silver in the men’s 81 kg category. Out of 24 Hungarian athletes in the tournament, Benedek Tóth’s result was the most notable.

Via MTI; Featured image: MTI/Bodnár Boglárka

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