Sweden’s five senior level medalists took their national team to third place in the 2019 world championships medal table. While Bezhan Mahmudi captured gold in the atomweight bracket, Bianca Antman’s gold medal triumph in the flyweight division meant that Sweden recaptured the 125lb title for the first time since 2016, following in the footsteps of IMMAF great Gabriella Ringblom.
Taking three victories in four days at the world championships last November, Antman’s broad and aggressive display of ability included an Americana submission over South Africa’s Ceileigh Niedermayr in the quarter-finals before going the distance to claim a unanimous decision semi-final win over Russian national champion Zemfira Alieva. At the finals, Antman submitted former world silver medalist Hannah Dawson, the New Zealand standout who had last been defeated in the 2017 finals as a strawweight against Sweden’s Anna Astvik.
In the Oceania Open flyweight bracket Antman will be rivaled by the New Zealand duo of Amanda Cairney and 2018 Oceania gold medalist Anne Wilson. Victory for Antman in the Oceania tournament would see her become the new number-one ranked athlete in the women’s 125lb division. Antman currently occupies second place in the rankings behind Australia’s 2018 Oceania Open and Asia Open champion, Alish Smith.
The 2020 IMMAF Oceania Open Championships take place from 6 – 8 March at the Tallebudegra Leisure Center on Australia’s Gold Coast.
For more information and tickets, click HERE.
By IMMAF.org lead writer: Jorden Curran
