Tokyo (AFP)
Marie-Eve Gahié, vice-world champion, and Margaux Pinot, reigning European champion, qualified for the semi-finals in -70 kg at the World Judo Championships on Thursday in Tokyo, one year from Olympics-2020.
Winner of two of her first three fights by ippon, 22-year-old Gahié will play Britain's Sally Conway for a place in the final.
Pinot (25), pushing her into the golden score (the extra time after the four minutes of fighting) in one of her first four games (by Portela), will face the Portuguese Barbara Timo.
On the men's side, 32-year-old Axel Clerget, beaten in the quarter-finals by Noel Van't End of the Netherlands (waza-ari), will try to get a bronze medal, as he did a year ago, through the repechage board.
For this, he will have to win two more fights. The first will oppose Azerbaijan Mammadali Mehdiyev.
© 2019 AFP