MongolianJudokaMedalistOlympian

Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar

Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar is a Mongolian judoka (+100 kg) who has achieved significant success, including a World Championships bronze, multiple Asian Games silver, and Olympic participation.

1. Early Life and Junior Career

Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar's journey in judo began early, leading to notable achievements in his junior years before his transition to senior competitions.

1.1. Birth and Background

Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar was born on January 31, 1994, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He stands at 72 in (184 cm) and weighs 298 lb (135 kg). He is a member of the Mongolian military's judo club.

1.2. Junior Achievements

Düürenbayar quickly established himself as a promising talent in the junior circuit. He won gold medals at the Asian Junior Judo Championships in 2010, 2012, and 2013, competing in the +100 kg division. In 2010, he also participated in the World Junior Judo Championships, finishing in seventh place. He secured a silver medal at the 2013 World Junior Judo Championships held in Ljubljana, losing in the final of the +100 kg category. His junior career culminated with a gold medal at the 2014 World Junior Judo Championships in Fort Lauderdale. Additionally, he earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Junior Judo Championships in Hong Kong.

2. Senior Career

Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar's senior career saw him consistently compete at the highest levels of international judo, earning multiple medals at major championships and participating in the Olympic Games.

2.1. Early Senior Competitions

Düürenbayar made his mark early in his senior career by consistently medaling in the IJF Grand Prix and Grand Slam events. He won a bronze medal at the 2013 Judo Grand Prix Ulaanbaatar, followed by a silver at the 2014 Judo Grand Prix Qingdao, where he was defeated by Japan's Hisayoshi Harasawa in the final. He continued his strong performance with a bronze medal at the 2015 Judo Grand Prix Ulaanbaatar. In 2016, he claimed silver at the 2016 Judo Grand Prix Ulaanbaatar and a bronze at the 2016 Judo Grand Prix Qingdao. The year 2017 brought further success with a bronze medal at the 2017 Judo Grand Slam Paris and a silver at the 2017 Judo Grand Prix Hohhot. He also reached the seventh place at the World Masters competition in 2017, a year which saw him reach his highest world ranking of 2nd. In 2018, he again took silver at the 2018 Judo Grand Prix Hohhot, this time losing to his veteran compatriot Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar. He also secured a bronze medal at the 2019 Judo Grand Slam Düsseldorf.

2.2. Major Championships

Düürenbayar has been a consistent medalist at some of judo's most prestigious events. At the Asian Games, he earned two silver medals: in 2014 at Incheon, where he lost to Japan's Takeshi Ojitani in the +100 kg final, and again in 2018 at Jakarta, where he was defeated by South Korea's Kim Sung-min in the final. He also secured a bronze medal at the 2017 Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong.

In 2016, Düürenbayar won a gold medal at the World Military Judo Championship held in Switzerland, demonstrating his strength within military sports competitions.

His most significant achievement came at the 2018 World Judo Championships in Baku. In a match observed by Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga, Düürenbayar defeated Rio 2016 Olympic silver medalist Hisayoshi Harasawa in the quarter-finals. Though he lost to Georgia's Guram Tushishvili in the semi-finals, he went on to win the bronze medal match against the Rio 2016 Olympic 100 kg gold medalist, Czech Republic's Lukáš Krpálek. In 2019, he also contributed to a team bronze medal at the Asian Pacific Judo Championships.

Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar at the 2018 World Judo Championships.
Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar at the 2018 World Judo Championships.

2.3. Olympic Participation

Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo. He competed in the Men's +100 kg division, where he reached the Round of 32. He also represented Mongolia as part of the mixed team event, where the team finished in seventh place. He had the honor of being a flag bearer for Mongolia at the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony, sharing the role with Onolbaataryn Khulan. He did not participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro because the experienced judoka Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar was selected to represent Mongolia in his weight class.

3. Competitive Record

The following table summarizes Ölziibayaryn Düürenbayar's major international career achievements in judo.

YearCompetitionLocationEventMedal
2010Asian Junior ChampionshipsBangkok, ThailandMen's +100 kgGold
2010World Junior ChampionshipsAgadir, MoroccoMen's +100 kg7th place
2012Asian Junior ChampionshipsTaipei, TaiwanMen's +100 kgGold
2013Grand PrixUlaanbaatar, MongoliaMen's +100 kgBronze
2013World Junior ChampionshipsLjubljana, SloveniaMen's +100 kgSilver
2013Asian Junior ChampionshipsHainan, ChinaMen's +100 kgGold
2014Asian GamesIncheon, South KoreaMen's +100 kgSilver
2014World Junior ChampionshipsFort Lauderdale, United StatesMen's +100 kgGold
2014Grand PrixQingdao, ChinaMen's +100 kgSilver
2014Asian Junior ChampionshipsHong Kong, ChinaMen's +100 kgBronze
2015Grand PrixUlaanbaatar, MongoliaMen's +100 kgBronze
2016Grand PrixUlaanbaatar, MongoliaMen's +100 kgSilver
2016Grand PrixQingdao, ChinaMen's +100 kgBronze
2016World Military ChampionshipSwitzerlandMen's +100 kgGold
2017Grand SlamParis, FranceMen's +100 kgBronze
2017Asian Judo ChampionshipsHong Kong, ChinaMen's +100 kgBronze
2017Grand PrixHohhot, ChinaMen's +100 kgSilver
2017World MastersSt. Petersburg, RussiaMen's +100 kg7th place
2018Grand PrixHohhot, ChinaMen's +100 kgSilver
2018Asian GamesJakarta, IndonesiaMen's +100 kgSilver
2018World Judo ChampionshipsBaku, AzerbaijanMen's +100 kgBronze
2019Grand SlamDüsseldorf, GermanyMen's +100 kgBronze
2019Asian Pacific Judo ChampionshipsFujairah, United Arab EmiratesMixed teamBronze
2020Summer OlympicsTokyo, JapanMen's +100 kgRound of 32
2020Summer OlympicsTokyo, JapanMixed team7th place