Goki Tajima (right) attacking in the men’s 90 kg class final (provided by International Judo Federation/Kyodo)
＜Judo: 4th Day of the World Championships＞◇22nd◇Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE)◇3 weight classes for men and women
In the men’s 90kg class, 26-year-old Goki Tajima (Park 24) won his first championship after winning six matches. In the final, after extra time, he won the tournament over Nemanja Maidov (Serbia), the 2017 champion. This is the first time in 19 years that a Japanese player has won this title since Hiroshi Izumi in 2005.
In the women’s category, Shiho Tanaka (JR East) in the 70kg class lost in the quarterfinals, but won the repechage match and third place match. Naori Hamada (Self-Defense Forces), the Tokyo Olympics champion in the 78kg class, was defeated in the third round. She lost to 2021 tournament champion Annamaria Wagner (Germany) due to a coaching 3 foul.
The only Japanese athlete participating is Ryuju Nagayama (SBC Shonan Beauty Clinic) in the men’s 60kg class.
He showed off his strengths and made a good advance. Tajima, who is ranked 78th in the world in the men’s 90 kg class, became the world number one after winning his first international senior tournament. Although he hasn’t been able to break out of his shell since his debut in 2018, it was an outstanding performance that was good both standing and sleeping. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I want to enjoy it,” he said, making him excited.
Although he is small in his weight class at 172cm, his strength is his strength, and his shoulder throws, in which he carries his opponent on his back, are a sight to behold. On the other hand, he has many gaps, and he is aware of his weaknesses, saying, “I aim too hard at the throws and it ends up being too much.” He played the game calmly on his long-awaited stage. He creates a rhythm with his footwork, and uses ground techniques to attack in situations where he gets tangled. He made good use of the opportunity. He carefully looked for a winning spot in the final, and won the Waza-ari with a small outside hook in extra time.
He will be 27 in July. Sanshiro Murao (JES Group), who has been selected to represent Japan at the Paris Olympics, is 23, and young athletes in their teens are also emerging. He stepped onto the mat with the determination that “if I don’t win here, it’s all over.” He has proven his strength by taking the world number one title. (Kyodo News)
2024-05-22 20:59:12
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