The 10th edition of The World Games 2017 is on its way to enter the final stretch. But there are still 31 medals sets to be awarded on Saturday and Sunday. However it’s pretty clear that Russia will keep its position at the top of the medal table. They are far ahead of Italy (ranked second) and Germany who are third. On Friday, the Italian team added another two gold medals to their score, in Archery and Ju-Jitsu.
Cinzia Noziglia upset Lina Bjorklund from Sweden, 49-45, in the Women’s Barebow Final displayed at the venue in Szczytnicki Park. Hungary’s Istvan Kakas shot a perfect six with the last arrow of the barebow men’s final, beating John Demmer III of the USA, 54-51, and winning gold at The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland.
It was a tough day for the team preparing the medal ceremonies for Ju-Jitsu. All twelve medal events have been scheduled for Friday. The first gold medal was awarded at five minutes to six, when the French athlete Haidar Raza Abbas won his final. He beat Maciej Polok from Poland in a very tight fight. Both scored 4 points. But Haidar Abbas achieved more so-called advantages in the Men's 69kg Ne-Waza final.
Houmine Seif Eddine from Morocco won the first gold medal at TWG 2017 for his country in the Men's +94kg Ne-Waza final. Also, Italy upset Germany in the Mixed Duo Finals.
That brings us back to the medal counting. The World Games does not only celebrate the diversity of sports, but also the diversity of nations on the medal tally. Before the weekend, 49 of 111 partaking countries made it to the podium with at least one bronze medal.
Finally, a short look on competitions waiting for the finals: in Canoe Polo the men’s team of the reigning champion Germany delivered a perfect start into the tournament, beating Italy 4-1. The German women’s team, reigning champions too, enjoyed the Friday even more with three wins in a row (Canada 3-1, Poland 15-1, Netherlands 4-2). The squad secured their spot in the semi-finals.
Also, in Floorball, World Champions Finland have already stamped the ticket to the semi-final on Thursday. The WFC 2016 silver medalists Sweden made their way to the semis yesterday. After beating Poland 5-0 on Thursday, the team dominated the match against USA with a score of 20-0. Poor Americans, they lost their first match 17-0 against Switzerland.
