BAKU, Azerbaijan — Toronto's Shady El Nahas captured a silver medal in the men's 100-kilogram class Sunday at the Baku Grand Slam judo event.
The competition was El Nahas's first since finishing fifth at the Tokyo Olympics in July.
The 23-year-old began the event with consecutive wins to meet Russia’'s Niiaz Bilalov in the final. After neither competitor was able to register a point, the match went into overtime before Bilalov cemented the gold medal with an ippon.
"I was dominating throughout the bout, and I even thought I'd made a throw," El Nahas said. "I then received a second shido and was a lot less careful in overtime.
"In the end, he was able to trap me and win the match. For me, the result is a bit of a letdown because I came here to win gold, and nothing less."
But national team coach Sasha Mehmedovic was pleased with El Nahas' finish.
"It was a good opportunity for him to test himself after the Olympics, and he came very close to winning," Mehmedovic said. "After a few more competitions, he'll be back in peak shape, and I have no doubt we’ll see him on top of the podium very soon."
Ian Ryder of Richmond, B.C, (under 100-kilograms) and Keagan Young of Markham, Ont., (under 90-kilograms) both dropped their opening matches.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2021.
The Canadian Press
