Astana Grand Slam Tournament
Scheduled from May 8 to 10, 2026, the Grand Slam event in Astana will bring together nearly 300 judokas. Ukraine will field a lineup identical to the one that competed in Dushanbe the previous week, where its athletes achieved notable success. This tournament is part of the international Grand Slam series, which serves as a key platform for athletes to earn ranking points and gain competitive experience.
Ukrainian Team Roster
The Ukrainian squad for the Astana competition includes the following judokas:
- Artem Lesiuk in the -60 kg category
- Vadym Chernov in the -66 kg category
- Said-Magomed Khalidov in the -73 kg category
- Vladyslav Kolobov in the -81 kg category
- Artem Bubyr in the -90 kg category
- Oleksii Yershov in the -100 kg category
- Zaur Dunyamaliiev in the -100 kg category
Oleksii Yershov, competing in the -100 kg division, recently earned his first Grand Slam medal by taking bronze in Dushanbe. In his pool, Yershov defeated Uzbekistan’s Mirjalol Normuminov and Moldova’s Vadim Ghimbovschi. However, he lost to China’s Fuchun Huang in the semifinals. In the bronze medal match, Yershov overcame Serbia’s Lazar Zdrale to secure third place.
Ukraine wrapped up the Dushanbe competition with two medals: Artem Lesiuk claimed silver in the -60 kg weight class, and Oleksii Yershov took bronze in the -100 kg category. Vadym Chernov finished fifth in the -66 kg division after losing the bronze final to Russia’s Yago Abuladze. Overall, the Ukrainian team continues to deliver strong performances on the international judo stage.
Participation in the Astana Grand Slam represents a crucial step in the Ukrainian judokas’ preparation for upcoming international events, as these tournaments offer opportunities to improve their rankings and gain valuable experience.
It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian team maintains a high level of training, which positively enhances its reputation in the global sports community.
As Ukrainian athletes continue to excel in combat sports, their performance in judo echoes the recent achievements of the wrestling team, which also showcased impressive talent at the European Championships. This highlights the growing strength of Ukraine's sports representatives on the international stage. For more details on their success, check out how Ukrainian wrestlers secured multiple medals in their latest competition.