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Judoka Ivo Verhorstert has already been eliminated in his first match at the World Cup in Tashkent. He bowed in the class up to 66 kilograms with ippon for the Japanese topper Joshiro Maruyama.
The defeat of the Venlo native, who traveled to Uzbekistan full of self-confidence – “I want to go on that mat and talk to everyone on their back” – comes as no surprise. The 21-year-old World Cup debutant had a bye in the first round, but then ran into Maruyama, who won gold in the last two World Cups. After just over two minutes, the Japanese had already decided the fight.
Verhorstert quickly ready at the World Cup: “Too early to beat him now”
Despite his two world titles, Maruyama was missing last year at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where only one judoka per country was allowed to appear on the mat per weight class. In the Japanese qualifying battle, he lost to Hifumi Abe in a match that took no less than 24 minutes – a regular match lasts four minutes, after which extra time is possible. He then took off in Tokyo with the Olympic gold.
The two Japanese competed for World Cup gold in the final on Friday. Abe won with waza-ari against Maruyama and became world champion. And it was a double celebration for the Abe family, because sister Uta also won gold. She did that in the class up to 52 kilograms.
any Dutchman
Verhorstert was the only Dutchman who played in the capital of Uzbekistan on Friday. Tornike Tsjakadoea (-60 kg) was disqualified in the third round on Thursday against Mongolian Ariunbold Enkhtaivan, who eventually reached the final, but was no match for top favorite Naohisa Takato from Japan.
No Dutchman will appear on the World Cup mat on Saturday.
Before the start of the World Cup, Ivo Verhorstert wanted to “talk everyone on their back”. Watch the tournament preview here.
Judobond aims for three medals at World Cup with new generation
