A scream breaks the silence.
Jasmin Jüttner's hands “cut” the air.
Mad.
Suddenly the 28-year-old remains in a pose.
Then her movements become soft, the gaze a little more gentle, one foot gropes forward as if searching.
The woman from Wiesbaden dances for three minutes over the tatami in the Nippon Budokan.
She is allowed to complete two katas, fixed choreographies, in this martial arts temple.
Then the Olympic competition will be history again for the Hessin.
Only the three best get ahead
The multiple German champion did not survive the first round in her discipline.
With an average score of 24.29 points, the former world and European championship third placed fourth in one of two groups.
Only the three best in each case progress.
“I'm already disappointed,” says Jüttner.
She had come to Tokyo to win a medal.
It will almost certainly have been the only chance in her career.
Karate, the sport of the native Aschaffenburg, was on the Olympic program for the first time in Japan;
In 2024 in Paris, Kata, as Jüttner's preferred fight against an imaginary opponent is called, and the Kumite played in a direct duel with a real opponent are no longer included.
Jüttner considers her appearances in Asia to be all the more valuable, for which the media manager studied for three years as a sports soldier concentrated 100 percent on her passion.
The draw the day before brought her a very special honor: Jüttner was the first karateka ever to step on an Olympic mat on Thursday morning.
"When I saw that, I thought: Great, no matter what comes after." Nobody could take this historic moment away from her: "I really had goose bumps."
The determination and aggressiveness that she displayed like all the other nine starters did not scare the judges enough.
“But I have nothing to reproach myself with;
the world has seen what I'm capable of, ”said the only German participant.
Her training colleague with national coach Efthimios Karamitsos in the Frankfurt performance center, Ilja Smorguner, will be able to present his skills to the men on Friday. Jüttner will then watch in the stands of the arena in Kitanomaru Park and keep your fingers crossed. After the trip home, the European Games participant will be able to look back again and again thanks to around 1000 photos - to her only Olympic Games and the moment when she was allowed to take the first step on the big stage for her whole sport.