The Grand Slam Tokyo, an international judo tournament, started on the 3rd, and 28-year-old Kenya Obara defeated Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Takanori Nagase to win the men's 81-kg class.
The Grand Slam Tokyo is a tournament related to the domestic selection for the world championship next May, and on the first day of the 3rd, matches were held in a total of six weight classes for men and women.
In the final of the men's 81 kg class, Obara, who won the Kodokan Cup in October, faced Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Nagase.
The match went into extra time, but after one minute of extra time, Obara scored a waza-ari with a corner turn to take the lead and win the championship.
Nagase finished in 2nd place without a decisive move.
In addition, in the men's 73-kilogram class, this year's world championship silver medalist Soichi Hashimoto defeated Hayato Koga in the final after overtime to win the championship.
In the men's 90-kilogram class, Kasuke Masuyama, who participated in this year's world championship, won the championship by defeating a German player in a shoulder throw in the final.
In the women's 57-kilogram class, this year's World Championship silver medalist Haruka Funakubo played against the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Tsukasa Yoshida in the final, winning by holding down and winning by one.
In the women's 63-kilogram class, Mirai Takaichi, maiden name Miku Tashiro, who represented the Olympics in two consecutive Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, faced Seiko Watanabe in the final, and Takaichi won the championship after Watanabe lost by foul. did.
In the women's 70-kilogram class, this year's world championship bronze medalist Saki Niizoe won the championship by taking one in the final against an Australian player.
People displaced from Ukraine also watched the game
At the Grand Slam Tokyo, about 30 people evacuated to Japan from Ukraine, where the military invasion by Russia continues, were invited to watch the game.
The All Japan Judo Federation invited them to watch judo, which is popular in Ukraine. Among them, Irina Mamochka, who has lived in Japan for a long time, visited with her parents who had evacuated to Japan in May this year.
Mamochka talked with the players and coaches of the Ukrainian national team and took pictures with them. rice field.
Also, Khivor Manukian, who participated in the men's 81-kilogram class as the representative of Ukraine, was training in Kyiv, the capital, and said, "We don't know when the missiles will come, and the training doesn't go as planned, but I'm grateful to be invited to the tournament." was talking