Rio Olympic Games - Day 1 Morning Session Judo - Press Release

For four years the judo world and fans from around the world have been waiting. For four years the International Judo Federation has been working hard to prepare for the Olympic tournament. For four years, every athlete has been eager to provide their best fight on D-day on the tatami of the Carioca Arena 2, in order to determine who will become the new Olympic champions.

It only took a few minutes, this Saturday morning, to understand that all the ingredients were present to start a successful week of judo, a week with fabulous contests, extraordinary champions, and a colorful atmosphere showing how much the Brazilian people made judo one of their highest hopes of medals.

Every day, the International Judo Federation will offer a summary of the morning session, where you will find the highlights of the preliminary rounds, before the media department will send a fuller report later in the day with a detailed summary on the two new Olympic champions.

The first two categories in the competition today are the Women’s -48kg and Men’s -60kg. As the first matches started, the stands were already nearly full of spectators. Match after match, at a steady pace, the temperature of the arena started to raise degree by degree, promising an incredible first final block.

Women’s -48kg Highlights

MENEZES was outfought by Dayaris MESTRE ALVAREZ (CUB) in their quarter-final as their scoreless contest was settled by shido penalties with one against the former while the Cuban registered a clean sheet. That defeat silenced the crowd as the Brazilian’s coach Rosicleia Campos urged the home fans to get behind their defeated fighter as she left the field of play but the -48kg star will return in the second session where she will meet former world champion MUNKHBAT Urantsetseg (MGL) at the first stage of the repechage.

Sarah Menezes (BRA) against Charline VAN SNICK (BEL) during the preliminary rounds

World champion Paula PARETO – who won bronze at the Beijing 2008 Olympics – has strolled through to the semi-final after convincing wins over Irina DOLGOVA (RUS) by ippon and London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist CSERNOVICZKI Eva (HUN) by a waza-ari. The qualified doctor has been supported in numbers by the Argentina fans who have travelled in numbers and have been in great voice with more to come in the second session. Former world champion KONDO Ami (JPN) will meet PARETO in the semi-finals after beating Edna CARRILLO (MEX) in the last second of their contest before repeating that method of victory against the in-form Otgontsetseg GALBADRAKH (KAZ) by pinning the Kazakh in osaekomi for 20 seconds.

Semi-finals

JEONG Bokyeong (KOR) vs. Dayaris MESTRE ALVAREZ (CUB)

Paula PARETO (ARG) vs. KONDO Ami (JPN)

Repechage

MUNKHBAT Urantsetseg (MGL) vs. Sarah MENEZES (BRA)

CSERNOVICZKI Eva (HUN) vs. GALBADRAKH Otgontsetseg (KAZ)

KONDO Ami (JPN) vs. GALBADRAKH Otgontsetseg (KAZ) in the quarter-final

Men's -60kg Highlights

Number one seed and world bronze medallist Kim Won-Jin (KOR) was able to win his opening two contests without hitting his top form and the South Korean hope was caught cold by European Games winner Beslan MUDRANOV (RUS) who threw him with a huge ura-nage in their quarter-final. After a first round bye KIM defeated youngster Elios MANZI (ITA) by a yuko before beating TSENDOCHIR Tsogtbaatar (MGL) by a waza-ari. KIM was stunned by Russia’s hard-working MUDRANOV and will now focus on plotting his path to the podium via the repechage.

Beslan MUDRANOV (RUS) vs. Kim Won-Jin (KOR)

KIM will face former world champion TAKATO Naohisa (JPN) at the first stage of the repechage after the Japanese ace got countered by former European champion Amiran PAPINASHVILI (GEO) and after being awarded the contest he ran off the tatami towards his coach in celebration. Orkhan SAFAROV (AZE) and world champion Yeldos SMETOV (KAZ) have both safely reached the semi-finals and will meet to decide who will enter the gold medal contest.

Takato Naohisa (JPN) against Amiran Papinashvili (GEO)

Semi-finals

MUDRANOV, Beslan (RUS) vs. PAPINASHVILI, Amiran (GEO)

SAFAROV, Orkhan (AZE) vs. SMETOV, Yeldos (KAZ)

Repechage

KIM, Won Jin (KOR) vs. TAKATO, Naohisa (JPN)

KITADAI, Felipe (BRA) vs. UROZBOEV, Diyorbek (UZB)

COMPETITION PROGRAMME

Sunday - 7 August

10:00 - 13:00 Preliminaries

15:30 - 18:10 Final block

Women: -52kg

Men: -66kg

Monday - 8 August

10:00 - 13:00 Preliminaries

15:30 - 18:10 Final block

Women: -57kg

Men: -73kg

Tuesday - 9 August

10:00 - 13:00 Preliminaries

15:30 - 18:10 Final block

Women: -63kg

Men: -81kg

Wednesday - 10 August

10:00 - 13:00 Preliminaries

15:30 - 18:10 Final block

Women: -70kg

Men: -90kg

Thursday - 11 August

10:00 - 13:00 Preliminaries

15:30 - 18:10 Final block

Women: -78kg

Men: -100kg

Friday - 12 August

10:00 - 13:00 Preliminaries

15:30 - 18:10 Final block

Women: +78kg

Men: +100kg

Location: Carioca Arena 2

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