Tatsuki Nagayama returned from the World Championships, where he lost in the first round.
Photo By Sponichi
■ On the 22nd, Tatsuki Nagayama (SBC Shonan Beauty Clinic), a judo player in the men’s 60 kg class and representing the Paris Olympics, returned to Narita Airport after finishing the World Championships (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), which was his last actual competition before the Olympics. He intended to gain momentum going into Paris as his first World No. 1, but he unexpectedly ended up losing in the first round (second round), saying, “I’m sorry for not being able to bring home the gold medal as the Japanese representative.The reason for my loss was that I wanted to win easily, but my technique was one-shot.” ” he said with a mysterious expression.
In his first match, Nagayama faced a neutral player from Russia. They played against each other in the semifinals of the Grand Slam (GS) Tokyo tournament last December, and he was so prepared that he said, “I felt he was strong. I thought he was going to throw me,” but he won this time. However, when they faced each other again in a real battle for the first time in five months, they were unable to score points against their strong defense and gradually wasted their stamina. At 1 minute and 54 seconds into extra time, he conceded and suffered a loss, saying, “I thought I’d let it go if I went here, but to be honest, it was too tight and I just went in.”
The other Japanese Olympic athletes avoided participating in this tournament, which is two months away from the Olympics. Nagayama, who has twice placed third in his three previous appearances, decided to participate because he wanted to become a world champion and gain confidence, but he ended up losing in the first round. Many of the other countries had not yet decided on their Olympic representatives, and he reflected, “I was full of energy. I was too naive, thinking that even if I lost, I would still be at the Olympics.” He was chasing Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Takato Naohisa with ferocious momentum, and after winning the GS Tokyo tournament and securing his first Olympic spot, he said, “I let my guard down (after being selected as a representative).”
No matter how much I cry or laugh, there are still two months left until the actual performance. Nagayama said, “We talked with Keiji Suzuki, the coach of the Japan men’s national team, “I’m going to give it my all after this. I’m going to sacrifice a lot of things.” Nagayama said, “I don’t want to say it was a bad loss, but I’m feeling more relaxed heading into the Olympics. “I will do it with all my heart,” he said, showing his unwavering determination.
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2024-05-22 08:29:30
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