Canadian El Nahas claims silver medal in men’s 100-kilogram class at Baku Grand Slam

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.