Preliminaries - Men, Day 1

-60 kg: Top Names Struggle While Underdogs Prevail

Valadier Picard (FRA) earned himself a bye in the first round but faced Harim Lee in the second; not an easy opening contest at all. It proved to be devastating, in fact, when Lee took the win, eliminating one of France’s brightest hopes in Paris.

With Mkheidze still in the group, perhaps this loss could be mitigated but in the round of 16 Jonathan Charon (CUB) dealt with that hope too, throwing the double Olympic medallist for ippon, unexpectedly. In judo it can be about taking your one chance and Charon did that, precisely and courageously. Mkheidze out!

A little later Italy’s Carlino launched Kondo (JPN) for ippon. Kondo out! Carlino didn’t have staying power though, even if his throwing power was present; he was eliminated shortly after pushing Kondo out of the door, making way for Ashpiz (ISR), a man on a mission in Paris.

Ashpiz began his day in pool C with the Japanese surrounding him. He could have been forgiven for being nervous about his prospects but there was no need. He fought bravely and with great feeling and in the quarter-final he stood toe-to-toe with world champion Ryuju Nagayama (JPN): yuko to Ashpiz, waza-ari to Nagayama, yuko to Nagayama, ippon to Ashpiz. What a contest! What a defeat!

2023 world champion Francisco Garrigos (ESP) suffered a similar fate to the Frenchmen, dispatched by Balabay Aghayev (AZE) in their opening contest. The quarter-finals would not meet the majority of predictions. Garrigos out!

As the group marched towards the last 8, a picture of the final block began to take place. Unseeded Bakytzhan (KAZ), the man who put number 1 seed Michel Augusto (BRA) out of contention, stepped into a semi-final with Dilshot Khalmatov (UKR), the man who dealt with Harim Lee.

Charon formed the last barrier in front of Nagayama, reaching the bronze medal contest by throwing the Japanese world champion for yuko and protecting it perfectly. David Starkel (SLO), having perhaps his best day of judo ever, gave everything against Harim Lee for a chance to win a bronze medal, but it wasn’t enough. Starkel placed 7th, a career-best result at grand slam level, after 9 years on the circuit.

-66 kg: Takeoka Stakes His Claim to the Gold

Eyes widened around the arena as former world number one Denis Vieru was thrown in golden score by Brit Michael Fryer. Vieru out!

Number 2 seed and French dynamo Walide Khyar lasted only moments under the spotlights of the accor Arena. An early defeat against a driven Kairi Kentoku (JPN) saw disappontment roll across his face. He had to accept it and watch as Kentoku made his way towards the medals. He didn't make it all the way though as Channyeong Kim (KOR) halted his progress in the quarter-final.

World champion Takeoka (JPN) was impressive on his half of the draw. He logged three strong wins before facing Bouba (FRA) in the semi-final. For Bouba it would be the first of two fights in a row against Japanese opposition; a loss against Takeoka dropped him into a bronze medal contest against Kairi Kentoku (JPN).

Kentoku only just won the repechage contest by the skin of his teeth. Michael Fryer threw him right at the beginning of their 4 minutes with a very skilful ko-uchi-gari. That yuko stood alone on the board until the last 30 seconds and it was only then that Kentoku unleashed a barrage of ne-waza attacks and caught the Brit for a yuko with a short hold. This took them into golden score where Kentoku found space to throw, finally, for the first time in the contest. He took a second yuko and a place in the final block. Fryer placed 7th and can be proud of a great day’s work.

-73 kg: A Middleweight Category Full of Surprises

In the heaviest of the men’s categories on day one, Olympic silver medallist Joan-Benjamin Gaba (FRA) was the man to beat. The crowd awaited their new hero, applauding his entrance in the way only a Bercy crowd can. Their excitement was short-lived though as, in the round of 16, 21-year-old Benjamin Levy (GBR) threw him in golden score. Shock waves oscillated around the arena.

At the top of pool 3, double world medallist Tatsuki Ishihara (JPN) looked to be making his way to the medal contests safely but he, like other top names, couldn’t sustain his momentum. He had beaten Gassner (AUT) and Errboe (DAN) to reach the quarter-final but there was a young Frenchman waiting for him with the hunger of a local underdog.

Dayyan Boulemtafes (FRA) went a waza-ari down in normal time and remained behind Ishihara until well into the last minute but his relentless pressure became tricky for the Japanese judoka and Boulemtafes equalised. In golden score he threw again, sending himself into the semi-final. A shocked Ishihara would have to regroup for the repechage.

In pool B the 4th and 5th seeds were bound to have a tight tussle to win a place in the semi-final. It went exactly that way with Asadulloev (TJK) and Lombardo (ITA) reaching the last 8, but it was the latter who came out victorious. He then went on to beat Levy (GBR) for a place in the final in what was another close contest.

As a side note, the collective wins of the British men’s team offered some interesting thoughts. It was a spirited and technically proficient overall performance with two judoka reaching the quarter-finals. At -66 kg Michael Fryer beat Vieru on his way to a quarter-final in which he lost to Pashayev (AZE). No matter the result of his a repechage contest, a placing in Paris is assured. Charlie Young began well by beating Olympic silver medallist Margvelashvili (GEO) and then Berliner (USA) but he couldn’t make it to the last 8. Fryer went on to place in the top 8.

At -73 kg, newly crowned junior European champion Irakli Goginashvili won two good fights before losing in the round of 16 to Makhmadbekov, narrowly, in golden score. His teammate, though, Benjamin Levy, passed Jaehong An (KOR) and then ejected Gaba from the competition to reach his first grand slam quarter-final. He then moved past Kuanov (KOR) and so the semi-final line-up then listed his name too. He has missed out at all his cadet and junior milestone events so far, but it seems he was saving that big performance for Paris. The crowd were stunned but no more than Gaba and the rest of his opposition in the Accor Arena.

British men have been somewhat absent from the final blocks of the big events in recent years but this squad is beginning to make waves, pointing to some fun years ahead. Having not qualified a man to compete at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, it seems their LA28 dreams are alive and well. There is always more work to be done but there is capability and hope in this new generation.