As a member of the IJF Children’s Commission and also the Sport Commission and with a strong history on the mats, Leandra is 100% engaged with every aspect of a life in competitive judo. For day 2 in Tashkent Leandra delivers the technical analysis.
“There we’re not so many surprises in the -52kg women’s category, with Abe in the final and three out of the top four seeds in the final block. The Olympic Games last year provided a big boost for Great Britain’s Chelsie Giles, leading her to be more confident. She never minds who is in front of her, she will fight them all and always with the same determination. She really has found consistency. We see her ne-waza now starting to worry other top athletes too. Her kumi-kata and ground work are really world class.
It was impressive how Buchard could earn the score against Uta Abe, proving progress. There is a chance in Paris 2024 on home ground to overtake Abe, perhaps, at this rate. Can Abe continue the way she is, winning for another two years? From right back at the draw I believed Abe would win here and she did, she got the job done. We will see if she has the same percentages at the next Olympic Games.
Primo (ISR) went to the repechage but we are seeing her getting better on the ground, perhaps with the influence of the new Brazilian coach, Chibana. Her gripping is also so much improved. Her quarter-final almost brought a throw against Abe. Neither Primo nor Abe are old and certainly have time on their side but it’s tough for all athletes to stay on top of their game for sustained periods.
There are many notes to be made and also questions to be asked. We could wonder how it is for Krasniqi to keep coming back mentally after losses. To be Olympic champion in the weight below is of course something wonderful but now there are frequent losses and it can’t be easy.
It was a shame for Keldiyorova (UZB). She’s very young and maybe there was some pressure for her being at home so we didn’t see as much throwing as we normally see. Usually she has a good sode-tsuri-komi-goshi but today it wasn’t strong. Her explosiveness had drained away.
In general there were fewer throws from the -52s than we might have expected, apart from Abe and a few really great ashi-waza peppered through the category.
At -66kg most people predicted from the beginning that the two Japanese would reach the final and that maybe it would be decided by shido, with them knowing each other so well. We were only part right. They met but it wasn’t quite the shido battle, although it was close for Abe, just avoiding a third but managing to hold his waza-ari lead, earned from a big mistake on Maruyama’s part.
In the rest of the group, because it wasn’t just about the headliners, there were many notable moments. For example, It was really great to see Emomali (TJK), current junior world champion, push Hifumi Abe. It surprised Abe but we love to see these young ones fighting for their lives.
The Maruyama uchi-mata against Willian Lima and then again with the adjustment of grip with Margvelashvili. From sleeve and lapel with one to the high collar with the other, he delivered a powerful throw which he plants like no-one else can, controlling the shoulders to the mat to guarantee his score. It’s the work of a judo magician.
Vieru had a fantastic fight with Abe too and pushed right to the end. He’s at a great level and although he so often misses tiny things to keep him from going to the finals he is still so sharp and can always be relied upon for good judo. His throw on the bell for the bronze medal was a real master stroke and proved his class again.
Manzi (ITA) was a big surprise today and went all the way to the bronze medal match. He deserved a reward for a really huge effort against many of the best in the world. He may be one to look forward to in the years to come.
It was strange to see Flicker (ISR) look unprepared at the beginning of the day, struggling to arrive on time. This is a point of discipline. Everyone must be prepared at the right time especially at world level. The draw is given days in advance so preparation should be possible. Everyone must remember how tough it is to manage psychology when simple factors like the timing of the day and the passing of judogi control are not respected.
Overall there was some really fantastic judo in both categories and both podia commanded a knowledgeable nod from those watching. Everyone deserved their medals and they took their rightful places on the day.
Day three is just a few hours away. The -57kg women and the -73kg men are next up and we have no doubt it will be another blockbuster of a day.