Last day of the Judo Grand Slam (GS) Antalya Tournament (March 31, 2024 Antalya, Turkey)
Tate Saito
Photo By Sponichi
There were a total of five categories for men and women, and Paris Olympics representative Tate Saito (Kokushikan University) was runner-up in the men’s 100kg+ category. In the final, he will face off against Teddy Riner (France), the absolute champion with four consecutive Olympic medals, including two consecutive Olympic medals. It was a disappointing loss, but it was a loss that will give them a chance to get revenge at this summer’s festival.
This is the second time he has played against Riner, the first being in the quarterfinals of the World Championship last May. Saito was the first to take the initiative, aggressively launching techniques even though he was lacking in kumite, and drawing out his opponent’s guidance at around 1:30. At around 2 minutes and 30 seconds, the second instruction came and I was in an advantageous position, but with 30 seconds left, when I dodged his Uchimata, I was pulled into the ground and was knocked down, robbed of the Waza Ari, and was able to escape. Ta.
He was originally scheduled to participate in the GS Paris competition in February, which is held in Paris, the same city as the Olympics, but he was unable to do so due to delays in recovering from the injury he sustained in his right thigh in December last year. Although he succumbed to Riner in the long-awaited preparatory match for the Olympics, his content has come a long way since their match 10 months ago. I will definitely repay this debt in midsummer in Paris.
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2024-03-31 16:39:22
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