In the category of up to 70 kilograms, the Split judo fighter defeated the Japanese judo fighter Yoko Ono in the final thus achieved the best result in the history of Croatian judo.
Index.hr reports that Matić solved the fight with a great move 40 seconds before the end and defended herself masterfully until the end to reach the gold medal.
The 26-year-old Matić withstood the terrible attack in the last 28 seconds with her incredible defense and big heart, and then triumphantly raised her hands in the air to celebrate.
Matić thus continued with great results this season. In October, she achieved one of the best results of her career in Budapest after winning gold at the Grand Slam in Budapest, beating three medal winners from the last World Championships.
She also won the SN Athlete of the Year award and won silver at another Grand Slam as part of the IJF World Tour in Antalya, Turkey. She was in great shape before the European Championships but had to miss it as she tested positive for coronavirus. However, she made up for everything at this World Championships by winning the gold medal. She will go to the Olympic Games full of confidence.
Croatian judo fighters have not yet finished their performance in Hungary. On Friday, Karla Prodan will compete in the category up to 78 kilograms, and Zlatko Kumrić will be looking for a medal in the category up to 100 kilograms. Ivana Maranić will be looking for a place in the Olympic Games in the 78 kg category on Saturday.
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