Portuguesa Joana Diogo wins the bronze medal in Tashkent

Portuguese judoka Joana Diogo won the bronze medal at the Tashkent Grand Prix today in the -48 kg category, which was her first climb to the podium in a major event on the international circuit.

Joana Diogo, 22, 34th in the world rankings of her category, won in the decisive match against the Dutch Amber Gersjes, 36th in the world, for ‘waza-ari’, in a duel that dragged to the point of gold.

The Portuguese judoka made four bouts, with three wins and one defeat, qualifying for the semi-finals with Serbia’s Milica Nikolic, seventh in the world, which eventually relegated her to the repechage zone and the fight for the bronze.