-81kg: Same Suspense, Different Names

Sami Chouchi, number eight in the ranking, has a problem called Matthias Casse. Casse is a world champion, number two ranked, two-time runner-up and an Olympic medallist. He is, without question, the best Belgian. Chouchi is the second. As the top épées at this weight decided to rest after the Uzbek campaign, Chouchi arrived in Abu Dhabi with the status of top seed and favourite but, in addition to having Casse ahead of him, Chouchi's bad luck was doubled because he found an opponent whom he should have eliminated with relative ease but who had a fine and inspired day, the Spanish José María Mendiola. Mendiola had a plan, which was to constantly attack to make Chouchi uncomfortable. The Belgian was slow, out of rhythm, uncomfortable with Mendiola's proposal, who managed to score waza-ari when all the fish was sold, that is, a few seconds from the end. It was a valuable victory that opened new perspectives because in the quarter-finals, when the medals can already be outlined, Mendiola was going to face the winner of the fight between the Emirati Nugzari Tatalashvili, a very tough guy who fought at home, and the Ukrainian Sergii Krivchach, and both burned a lot of energy at the end of a very demanding golden score. In the end the Ukrainian won by hansoku-make but left the tatami looking for air and we were not misguided because Mendiola printed a devilish rhythm that the Ukrainian could not follow, and launched a couple of attacks, but the initiative was from the Spanish. It was his day, at least until then and he didn't lose concentration. He won by strategy and physical condition and got into the semi-finals against Mihail Latisev, another interesting case. The Moldovan is 18 years old and has just won the junior world title. He has it all to do but his credentials say it all. He is young but he is not a fool and in Abu Dhabi he literally ate Gerbekov, Elnahas and Zhubanazar without potatoes or vegetables or anything, in one bite. He started strong, attacking fast and making Mendiola uncomfortable. The Spaniard waited until he got a good grip and that was enough to score waza-ari and finish off with a pin that the young Moldovan has yet to understand how it came about.

It is easy to recognise Frank De Wit, both on the tatami and in the middle of Fifth Avenue in New York. When he makes the slightest effort, the Dutchman reddens and looks like a tomato. He has another characteristic which is to never give up. De Wit is probably the toughest of judoka, a guy who brings joy to everything he does. In Abu Dhabi we didn't see explosive judo from him but the day was beginning and we had to qualify for the quarter-finals, and he fulfilled that part. The best of his repertoire was reserved for later. We thought so, but the Frenchman Nicolas Chilard spoiled De Wit's party with a very simple waza-ari for such an opponent, followed by osae-komi. The truth is that De Wit deceived us because we thought that the gold medal would be his but he did not offer many grams of the quality he treasures. Chilard, on the other hand, charged as if he were a hunting dog and De Wit an absent-minded boar and those things come at the highest price, defeat.

Canada's François Gauthier Drapeau and Azerbaijani Zelim Tckaev could be a world championship quarter-final match-up but they met in Abu Dhabi. Tckaev scored waza-ari and waited while the Canadian multiplied the attacks but they were not incisive, they did not hurt and Tckaev won with relative ease and gave an appointment to Chilard for a ticket to the final. Chilard, an unknown within the French team, seized the opportunity offered to him by coming here and he did it by scoring waza-ari and ippon, eliminating guys with better titles and ranking, people who normally evolve in another galaxy. In Abu Dhabi, Chilard approached the stars, but the toughest fight was missing, the last one, the one that allows you to listen to your own anthem and bathe in gold.

The last time Mendiola was in a world judo tour final was never and the same thing happened to Chilard. For both of them it was like tasting caviar for the first time; that excites anyone. Chilard fought as in all his previous fights. The key was in the performance of the Spaniard, who did not seem affected by what was at stake. Another thing we want to review is that it was a clean fight with a first shido that took two and a half minutes to arrive. The problem was that the intensity dropped and then the shido did arrive, two for the Spanish, one for the French and then golden score. Both had their opportunities on the ground, as if they had given up on throwing the other. The smartest, the most complete too, was the Frenchman, who also managed to strangle the Spanish and when we know that the ground is typical Spanish terrain, Chilard's merit was even greater. It was gold for France, silver for Spain, the tournament for both was great.

Abylaikhan Zhubanazar, from Kazakhstan, against Tckaev was a duel between almost neighbours. In theory the Azeri is supposed to be better but only in theory, because Zhubanazar did not want to be the scapegoat that confirms theories. The rhythm was deceptive, as if they both wanted to dance but couldn't agree on the song. It is possible that Tckaev got tired of the Kazakh stepping on him but the fact is that he grabbed him, picked him up and knocked him down. The dance was over, the bronze for Azerbaijan and Zhubanazar, sorry for him, confirmed the theory.

The last medal of the day was a battle between Gauthier Drapeau and the young Latisev. At first glance, the Moldovan could learn a lot from the Canadian veteran but he wasn't here to learn and Gauthier Drapeau had no desire to teach anything, just to win. Ok, 18 seconds and shido for Latisev, that for not wanting to learn that you have to avoid penalties that come too early. Another shido, but for the Canadian, who is already used to it. Then the beautiful part began, the part that appears many times on television, with waza-ari for the Canadian, who lifted the Moldovan off the ground. The two left any type of prevention in the locker room and went for victory with everything they had left in the arsenal, wild judo, beautiful, and the young man, the one who did not want to learn, taught us why he is junior world champion, propelling Gauthier Drapeau and leveling the score. It was for sure the best match of the final block, a delight that concluded with a beastly ippon from Latisev. This boy has manners that do not leave anyone indifferent because he is pure attack, an attack genius. We are already fans.