The Abe siblings’ aspirations of capturing judo gold medals for Japan on the same day in their consecutive Olympics were dashed early on Sunday when Uta Abe experienced a surprising defeat by Uzbekistan’s Diyora Keldiyorova in the round of 16.
Both Uta Abe and her elder brother, Hifumi, clinched gold at the Tokyo Olympics and secured world championships in each of the two subsequent years since 2021. However, they will not leave the Paris Games with another synchronized set of medals after Keldiyorova executed a tani otoshi throw that resulted in an exceptional ippon 3:04 into their match.
The loss left Uta Abe profoundly distressed, a sentiment shared by the crowd. After struggling to stand and step off the tatami, she collapsed in tears into her coach’s arms for over three minutes, delaying the next match in the women’s 52-kilogram category at Arena Champ-de-Mars. Uta Abe, a dominant figure in this category for years, was too upset to speak to the many reporters gathered after her bout. Her team explained that she needed time to compose herself, as her crying was audible from a considerable distance outside the arena.
Uta and Hifumi Abe are prominent figures both in Japan and in the judo community, known for their charismatic smiles and expressive personalities. Despite her Tokyo gold and four world championships, Uta was unable to secure another Olympic gold medal.
“I want to be seen as invincible, someone who no one expects to lose and whose strength is beyond words,” Uta Abe told Olympics.com shortly before the Paris Games.
Before Hifumi Abe even stepped onto the tatami, Uta had already competed in two matches, thanks to his first-round bye. Hifumi didn’t let his sister’s defeat impact his performance, concluding his initial match in 59 seconds with a powerful ippon against Hungary’s Bence Pongracz.
Uta Abe’s early exit is a significant setback for Japan’s prestigious judo team, which secured nine gold medals and a total of 12 medals in the sport at their home Olympics three years ago.
Natsumi Tsunoda claimed Japan’s first gold medal in Paris with her victory in the women’s 48-kilogram category on Saturday, but Ryuju Nagayama settled for bronze in the men’s 60-kilogram category following a contentious loss to Francisco Garridos of Spain.
Keldiyorova, a formidable competitor herself, had won silver medals in the past two world championships and entered the Olympics as the top-ranked judoka in the 52-kilogram category, well ahead of Uta Abe, who did not compete in this year’s world championships.
Read More
