On the third and final day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, Natalie Powell claimed silver to record her
best Grand Slam result since October 2019.
2021 bronze medallist, Powell certainly lived up to her pre-event seeding. Following an openinground bye, 2nd seed Powell defeated Sophie Berger (BEL) and 2021 World Junior Champion, AnnaMonta Olek (GER) to win her pool and progress to the Semi-Finals to face double Olympic medallist
and former World Champion, Audrey Tcheumeo (FRA).
As the Semi-Final contest neared the midway point, Powell threw Tcheumeo for ippon score to
progress to the Final to face recent World Championship silver medallist Zhenzhao Ma (CHN).
In the Final, Powell was searching for an ippon score but was countered by Ma and thrown for ippon
score. The result saw Powell finish 2nd to improve upon the bronze medal she claimed in 2021.