Macedo and Antoniou headline Lima Grand Prix golds on Day 3 in Peru

Five gold medals were awarded on Day 3 of the 2026 Lima Grand Prix. Rafael Macedo, Mathilda Sophie Niemeyer, Gennaro Pirelli, Beatriz Souza and Giannis Antoniou all finished at the top of their categories in Peru.

Macedo secured the -90kg title against Mihail Latisev, adding another Grand Prix victory to the two he had already collected. The Brazilian created the decisive opening with a waza-ari before moving immediately into a hold-down. The sequence was later confirmed as waza-ari-awasete-ippon, ending the contest in his favour.

Niemeyer claimed her first World Judo Tour gold medal in the -78kg division. She overcame Fanny Estelle Posvite by scoring with a throw and then controlling the contest on the ground. The result left Niemeyer with a waza-ari and a yuko on the scoreboard against the more experienced French judoka.

The -100kg final was an all-Italian contest between Pirelli and Daniele Accogli. Pirelli took the title after a tactical battle. In the women’s +78kg category, Olympic champion Souza added another World Judo Tour victory by defeating Asya Tavano and winning through a hold-down.

Antoniou produced the day’s gold-medal highlight in the +100kg class, using a major counter-attack to defeat his opponent by ippon. The triumph gave Cyprus its first Grand Prix gold medal. It also added a new national milestone to a day that featured five different championship victories.

The medal ceremonies included senior International Judo Federation officials. Dr Zsolt Szöverfi presented the -90kg medals, while Yuri Alvear handled the -78kg ceremony. Louisa Agius Galea presented the -100kg awards, Vladimir Barta oversaw the +78kg presentation and Carlos Zegarra awarded the +100kg medals. Peru had already celebrated a bronze medal on the opening day, providing a notable result for the host nation’s judo programme.