At -60kg the leader is named Nagayama Ryuju. He has more than a thousand points of advantage over the second, the Russian Robert Mshvidobadze. Our basic need is to know the form of almost all Japanese judoka because, for obvious reasons, they have not been able to participate in the most recent tournaments. Their level of preparation is a mystery.
At -66kg, a high density of candidates begins to register. The current number one is Italian Manuel Lombardo, but he has not won a tournament since 2019. The second is Vazha Margvelashvili and this Georgian has not won gold for a long time either, but he has won silver and bronze medals in Dusseldorf and Doha and, in general, he does not make mistakes; he is always in the final block. There are also the Korean and Israeli delegates, An Baul and Baruch Shmailov. However, the one that everyone fears is for now, seventh in the world ranking. The Japanese fighter Hifumi Abe is the great favourite for Olympic gold. The former world champion secured his presence at the Games after a monumental match against his great rival, the current world champion, Maruyama Joshiro, with a twenty-minute golden score that is already part of the legend of judo. It is Abe that everyone will be watching for the next few months.
Here comes the first problem we face, because we don't know how to tackle the -73kg category, due to a reason, a man: Ono Shohei. He is the Pele of judo, the Ali of the tatamis, the Schumacher of ippon. He has won this description and has not lost a match since 2014. He is an artist with unparalleled elegance and a comprehensive repertoire. He is perhaps the only judoka who knows and practises all judo movements. What about the others then? There is a battalion of adversaries, all very good and we cite them in hierarchical order: Rustam Orujov, An Changrim, Arthur Margelidon, Khikmatillokh Turaev, Tohar Butbul, Fabio Basile and many more. They all want to defeat Ono and they want to do it in the final, in Tokyo. Few think that Ono will lose, but you know, in this sport there is nothing impossible.
Japan loses preponderance from -81 kg. They have good people but the competition is, for them, tougher, as size increases. Here we enter a fascinating category. From the outset, any of the top fifteen can win. There is a very high level, very demanding and foreseeing a winner would be crazy because, for two years, it has seemed like a roller coaster. The current leader is Belgian, Matthias Casse, constantly progressing, silent and very serious. Second is the world champion, Sagi Muki, bronze in Doha, very solid and recovered from various injuries. The third comes from Georgia and has burst into the category with a bang. His name is Tato Grigalashvili and he just won in Doha and has become the undisputed candidate of the Georgians in this category. As he is only 21 years old, few know him thoroughly and that is his main weapon. The Dutchman Frank De Wit lost against the Georgian in the Masters final. He is fifth in the ranking and pushes towards to any and all medals. Of course, we cannot forget about Saeid Mollaei; the one who was world champion in 2018 now defends the colors of Mongolia and has not quite recovered his best level. If he does, then it will be another story because everyone knows that physically he is the strongest. Many sigh at the idea of an unprecedented head-to-head between Mollaei, the former Iranian and Muki the Israeli. But, for that, they need the permission of the rest, among which are also the German Dominic Ressel, the Canadian Antoine Valois-Fortier, the Bulgarian Ivaylo Ivanov and so many more. We do not have space for everyone, even if they deserve it!
The next category could be a matter of two. First in the ranking with more than two thousand points of advantage, with a margin to allow him to lie down and sleep, is Nikoloz Sherazadishvili. Those who know about this say that he is the strongest in the category, but he did not participate in the Masters, nor did he win in Budapest. His last victory was last year in Paris and he is able to shine and crush everyone just as he can also lose in the early rounds. Perhaps his only weakness is the lack of concentration in some key moments. The other great candidate is the current world champion. The Dutch athlete, Noel Van T End, won in Doha and has shown that he has not wasted time during confinement. He has learned to win even when he does not have a great day and that is the signature of great champions. As he progresses through the competition his level rises. He is a true competitor and a danger to anyone. If they are both at one hundred percent, they can and just might reach the final in Tokyo.
The same could happen at -100kg. It is true that there are many contenders for Olympic gold, starting with the Portuguese and world champion Jorge Fonseca, the Korean Cho Guham, the Dutchman Michael Korrel, the Russian Niyaz Ilyazov, the Japanese Wolf Aaron or the French Alexandre Iddir. But, at the top of the pyramid there are two wonders of judo. The leader is the Israeli Peter Paltchik and his nemesis is the Georgian Varlam Liparteliani. The former is the European champion; he had a successful 2020 and finished third in Doha. The second is already a living legend of judo, runner-up in the world championships and Olympic Games, collector of titles and an adversary feared by all. Liparteliani won in Doha, but above all, the clashes between these two athletes have become a classic desire of the judo public. Paltchik won in Paris and Liparteliani in the Masters. Their fights are always very tight, very intense, where it is impossible to know which of the two will prevail. They know each other, study and respect each other a lot. An Olympic final between the two would be the logical thing, but, as you already know, judo is anything but an exact science.
We conclude our musings with the heavyweights and, whatever happens, it will be historic. This category has an owner and everyone knows it. His name is Teddy Riner and he is a ten-time world champion and is seeking his third Olympic title, which would make him the most successful judoka of all time. After a dismal season with two losses for the first time in a decade, Riner has lost twenty kilos and won the Masters, which is a declaration of intent. He has returned to win. He will face the Czech Lukas Krpalek, the Russian Inal Tasoev, the Georgian Guram Tushishvili and the Japanese Harasawa Hisayoshi. Again, we have asked the experts and they all say that if Riner is fit he will win. If he does, he will sit on the throne of the pantheon of the best. If he fails, it would be historic for having lost a final of such caliber. In any case, all eyes will be on the French giant and he likes that too.
