World champion and home favourite in the women’s under-70kg category Barbara Matic will be hoping to clinch gold ©Getty Images

Zagreb in Croatia is set to host the next International Judo Federation (IJF) Grand Prix starting tomorrow with Olympic and world champions in action.

A total of 477 athletes - 282 men and 195 women - from 67 countries are set to compete in the Croatian capital.  

All focus will be on world champion and home favourite Barbara Matic in the women’s under-70kg.

In the women’s under-52 kilograms category, Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Uta Abe of Japan, is still the one to beat.

Her main challenger would be the under-48kg Olympic champion and Kosovar judoka Distria Krasniqi.

World Championships bronze medallist Gefen Primo of Israel, Switzerland’s Fabienne Kocheran and Ana Pérez Box of Spain will all look to upset the favourites.

A bout between Teddy Riner of France, in picture, and Lukas Krpaleck of the Czech Republic has the potential to be entertaining ©Getty Images
A bout between Teddy Riner of France, in picture, and Lukas Krpaleck of the Czech Republic has the potential to be entertaining ©Getty Images

Among men, two-time Olympic individual champion Teddy Riner of France will be the star in Croatia.

In the men’s over-100kg category, the presence of reigning Olympic champion Lukas Krpaleck of the Czech Republic is sure to make it one of the matchups to look out for, provided the duo avoids each other in the initial stages.

Tokyo 2020 under-73 kg silver medallist Georgian Lasha Shavdatuashvili and Azerbaijani Hidayat Heydarov will battle it out in the category with Heydarov’s compatriot and Olympic silver medallist Rustam Orujov also challenging.

In the men’s under-81kg, a meeting between world silver medallist Tato Grigalashvili of Georgia and Olympic silver medallist Saeid Mollaei of Azerbaijan could see sparks fly.