SERBIAN JUDOKA SHINES IN PERU: Marica Perišić Wins Bronze at the Grand Prix and Takes a Major Step Toward the Los Angeles Olympics!

Fantastic [Marica Perišić], Crvena zvezda’s judoka and decorated Serbian national team member, won the bronze medal at the Grand Prix in Lima, slowly but surely paving her way, after Tokyo and Paris, toward her third Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

In the bronze medal bout in the up to 57 kg category, Marica Perišić, the outstanding Crvena zvezda judoka, defeated Italy’s Veronica Toniolo after four minutes of regular time with a yuko-scoring action – 1:0.

“We always expect only the best news from Marica. The bronze won at the Grand Prix in Lima shines like gold. Important points for the world rankings were earned, which also count toward the ‘Olympic race.’ There is no rest for Crvena zvezda’s judokas, as the Grand Slam tournaments in Lausanne and then Budapest await us, serving as an introduction to the most important competition of the year, the World Senior Championships in Baku,” said Nikola Nikolić, sports director of Judo Club Crvena zvezda.

Marica Perišić had a total of four bouts at the Grand Prix in Lima, recording three victories. In the opening round, she defeated Germany’s Jana Ziegler with an ippon-scoring technique after 1:36 of fighting. In the quarterfinals, the Crvena zvezda judoka defeated Spain’s Malin Wilson Claret after a marathon bout, winning by “hansoku-make” after 8:48, following Claret receiving her third penalty for obstruction on the tatami.

In the semifinals, Marica was defeated by Finland’s outstanding Pihla Salonen after a marathon bout against Claret, and in the same manner in which Perišić had won her quarterfinal against Claret.

Whether the referee on the tatami was too quick to issue the disqualification to Marica Perišić could be a matter for analysis, but Salonen also had two penalties at the end of the bout and was on the verge of disqualification. The Finnish judoka went on to win the final and claim the gold medal.

Before the Grand Prix in Lima, Marica was 11th in the world rankings, and after winning the bronze medal in Peru, she will certainly move up and strengthen her position on the road to Los Angeles 2028.

Two more Crvena zvezda first-team judokas will take to the tatami at the Grand Prix in Peru: Vasilije Grujičić (up to 81 kg) and Vidak Maljević (over 100 kg). Grujičić will face Yahya Nurković of Montenegro, while Maljević will compete against Brazil’s Andre Coelho on the third day of competition.

A total of 50 judo federations are participating in the Grand Prix in Lima, with 296 judokas in total – 169 men and 127 women. There were 21 competitors in the up to 57 kg category, 33 in the up to 81 kg category, and 17 in the over 100 kg category.