The Grand Slam Tokyo, an international judo tournament, has begun, and in the men's 90 kg class, Sanshiro Murao, who has been selected to represent Japan at next year's Paris Olympics, won the title for the first time.
The Grand Slam Tokyo, an international judo tournament, has a major impact on the selection of the national team for next year's Paris Olympics.
On the first two days, there were six weight classes for men and women, and in the men's 2 kg class, Murao, who finished third at the World Championships in Kotoshi, competed and advanced to the final with his spectacular throwing skills.
In the final, he faced a Georgian player who had won the World Championships in Kotoshi, and although the match went to overtime, he took a shot with his inner thigh after about two minutes to win the championship for the first time.
In the 6 kg class, Soichi Hashimoto finished second in the final after being knocked out by an Azerbaijani athlete in overtime.
In the men's 90kg class, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Takanori Nagase lost in the third round after receiving three coaches first.
In the women's event, 78-year-old Mao Arai, who won the World Junior Championships in the 20-kilogram class, won her first title against a French player in the final.
In the 70-kilogram class, 25-year-old Shiho Tanaka lost to a Dutch athlete in the final to take second place, while in the 2-kilogram class, a Japan athlete fell short of a prize and was won by Krista Deguchi, a Canadian representative from Nagano Prefecture.
On the 57rd, eight weight classes will be held, including Kazuzo Abe in the men's 3 kg class, who has been selected to represent Japan at the Paris Olympics, and his sister Shi in the women's 8 kg class.
Sanshiro Murao: "I was able to prove my ability"
Sanshiro Murao, who won the men's 90 kg class for the first time, expressed his confidence, saying, "I knew it was going to be a tough fight, but I was able to fight patiently, and I think I have the ability to become a world champion, so I was able to prove that."
On top of that, regarding the fact that it was the first international tournament since May, he said, "It was the first match in about six months, so I was nervous, but the first match started quite well, so I was able to get into the flow from there."
Throughout the tournament, he said, "If you look at the content alone, it was about 5 points, and the fact that I was able to win the match even though I was still in pain after my injury gave me confidence. We found some issues, such as careless guidance, and we were able to gain a good harvest."
And for the Paris Olympics, where he has already been selected for the national team, he was very enthusiastic, saying, "I want to win the championship and finish next year with the title of Olympic champion."
Mao Arai "The start of the next Olympics"
The 78-year-old Mao Arai, who won her first title in the women's 20-kilogram class, expressed her delight, saying, "I was able to finish the tournament in a good way.
Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Teru Sone has already been selected to represent Japan at the Paris Olympics in this weight class, but Arai said, "It will be the start of the next Olympics."
Soichi Hashimoto "I lost the bid"
Soichi Hashimoto, who finished second in the men's 73 kg class, reflected on the final, saying, "I felt that my opponent was studying better, and I thought it would be a competition for guidance, but I lost the competition."
Looking ahead, he said, "There are only one or two matches left until the Olympics, so we want to win them and be in good shape."