A Milestone for Ukraine’s Oleksiy Yershov
Ukrainian judoka Oleksiy Yershov has secured the first Grand Slam medal of his career, earning bronze in the under-100 kg weight category at the tournament held in Tajikistan. The 24-year-old athlete achieved this breakthrough after previously having no podium finishes at the Grand Slam level. Ukraine wrapped up the competition in Dushanbe with two medals: a silver from Artem Lesiuk in the under-60 kg division and Yershov’s bronze.
Road to the Podium
Yershov delivered impressive performances on his way to the medal. He defeated Uzbekistan’s Mirjalol Normuminov and Moldova’s Vadim Ghimbovschi. However, in the semifinals, he lost to Chinese judoka Fuchun Huang. In the bronze medal match, Yershov secured victory with an ippon over Serbia’s Lazar Zdrale.
Also competing at this event, Ukrainian judoka Vadym Chernov finished fifth in the under-66 kg category after losing the bronze final to Russian Yago Abuladze. The next Grand Slam stage is scheduled for May 8–10 in Kazakhstan. Notably, Ukrainian judokas missed the podium at the 2026 European Championships in Tbilisi, marking the first time in 27 years they finished without medals. The closest to awards were Dilshot Khalmatov and Mykhailo Svidrak.
This success by Oleksiy Yershov represents a significant step forward for Ukrainian judo, especially in light of recent setbacks in international competition. The bronze medal at the Grand Slam highlights the athlete’s potential and readiness for future challenges. With the next stage set in Kazakhstan, Ukrainian competitors will have another opportunity to fight for medals and improve their standing in the global judo rankings.
Yershov's achievement comes at a crucial time for Ukrainian sports, especially following a challenging performance at the recent European Championships, where the team faced significant hurdles. For more insights on how Ukraine's athletes are adapting and striving for success in various disciplines, including wrestling, check out our article on Ukraine's bronze medal wins at the European Championships.