The Costa Rican judoka Ian Ignacio Sancho (-66 kg) qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by confirming the continental place that he was playing with other Pan American athletes.
According to the world ranking, the Tico is located in 69th position on the planet with 814 points, not being surpassed by any other judoka and with no more tournaments to play, Sancho leaves the square and becomes the eleventh representative of Costa Rica in the olympic appointment.
Read more: Tico Ignacio Sancho wins the Judo Grand Slam in Russia and flirts with the Olympic Games.
The continental place is awarded to the judoka with the best ranking of countries without qualifying in a category, being ninth among 10 Pan American beneficiaries with 814 points in total, counting their six best tournaments between 2019 and 2021 and the six best of 2018 to 2019.
To achieve the score, Ignacio had a series of outstanding appearances in recent weeks.
For example, a month ago he defeated Brazilian William Lima (Pan American Champion at -66 kg) with a gold point.
Read more: Tica Diana Brenes wins bronze in Pan American Judo
Likewise, Sancho at the Guayaquil Pan American Open defeated Lenin Preciado and Byron Guillén from Ecuador. Preciado is also a Pan American Champion and is in position 22 in the ranking, in addition to that tournament he was already classified for the Olympic Games.
With Ignacio’s confirmation, the Costa Rican delegation grows to 15 athletes in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
