ADGS Istanbul: Amateurs take the stage on the tournament's opening

June 7, 2024

Celebrating the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour's 10th anniversary, the ADGS Istanbul is already here. Taking place on the Basaksehir Genclik ve Spor Ilce Mudurlugu Tesisleri throughout the weekend, the competition had its first day this Friday, June 7th, with local and foreign athletes entering the battlefield to fight for gold and glory in Turkey.

The Amateur category was the one chosen to kick off the tournament, with white and blue belts from all over the world taking point at the AJP mats. But what these warriors lacked in experience was more than made up for with passion and mettle, as each and every one of them gave their best shot at reaching their respective division titles. Check out below the highlights from the ADGS Istanbul's first day!

MEN'S GI / BLUE / AMATEUR / FEATHERWEIGHT (UNDER 62KG)

Representing the Police Sports Association, the Emirati Ahmed Almashjari used his skills to conquer the 62kg division gold medal. After submitting Bulgaria's Kaloyan Stoyanov (Brasa CTA) in the semifinals, Ahmed went up against the Afghani Osman Ahmadi (Renzo Gracie Istanbul) in a duel that lasted the entirety of the regulated time. When the clock ran out, a 9-5 score gave Ahmed the win and the title.

MEN'S GI / BLUE / AMATEUR / MIDDLEWEIGHT (UNDER 85KG)

Fighting in his homeland, the Turkish Yunus Batan (Corvos Combat) had three lengthy battles before reaching the top of the 85kg division. With a 6-2 victory over the Iranian Ehsan Moradi (Iran Jiu-Jitsu Academy) in the quarterfinal and a narrow 3-2 win against Belgium's Moussa Ndahimana (GFTeam) in the semis, Yunus advanced to the final round and found himself facing his countryman Esef Akpinar (Checkmat International) in an incredibly balanced match, which ended in favor of Yunus by 1-0.

MEN'S GI / BLUE / AMATEUR / LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (UNDER 94KG)

In the 85kg division, the South African Jason Du Randt (Pesfa) had a good run on his way to the gold. After dominating and submitting the German Necati Turan (Gokcehan Kirbac Team) in the semifinal, Jason ended up facing Kuwait's Faisal Alameeri in his last match. This time around, the fight was much more challenging and both athletes clashed over the course of the five regulated minutes of competition, with Jason emerging victorious with a 4-1 score.

MEN'S GI / BLUE / AMATEUR / SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT (UNDER 120KG)

An Iran representative at the ADGS Istanbul, Seyed Hosseini (Iranian Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) was unstoppable in the 120kg division. Starting his campaign with a submission over the local Can Duman (Gokcehan Kirbac Team) in the semifinal, Seyed advanced in the bracket and went toe-to-toe with his countryman Mohammadali Kazemi (Iran Jiu-Jitsu Academy), fighting somewhat evenly up until the 3-minute mark, when Seyed found his opportunity and locked a winning submission to reach the top spot in the podium.

WOMEN'S GI / BLUE / AMATEUR / HEAVYWEIGHT (UNDER 95KG)

On the women's side, the Polish Nika Stachwiuk (Commando Group) had a challenging match to conquer the 95kg division. Facing Iran's Ategh Solgi (Anzu Team) in the final, Nika had a rough time during the match, quickly finding herself at a disadvantage when her opponent put the scoreboard at 6-2. Despite the less-than-favorable scenario she was faced with, Nika steeled her resolve and kept on fighting, with her efforts paid off halfway through the match as she saw her opportunity and landed the winning submission to become the division champion.

With the first day completed, the ADGS Istanbul now gets ready to welcome Youths and Masters to the mats this Saturday, June 8th. On Sunday, the third and final day of the tournament, the Professional category reaches the battlefield, ending the competition in a blaze of glory as the Elite of Jiu-Jitsu shows their skills in Turkey. Watch the competition live at TX7.com, and follow @ajptour on social media to stay up-to-date on everything about the Grand Slam.