This is a category that presents some very interesting curiosities. To begin with, Japan does not represent an imminent or lasting threat. This does not mean that the danger cannot come from there but rather that the balance clearly favours other countries.
The first of all, by ranking and to retain, at least until Tashkent, the world title, is Croatia. Barbara Matic has both leadership and credentials to land in Uzbekistan and return home with the same status. The Croatian has reached that point of cooking that mixes flavour and texture, that maturity that allows progress without the need to shine. That is true, as is the fact that the Dutch Sanne van Dijke and the Japanese Yoko Ono have the necessary weapons to make their way into the competition and finish off the trip with gold.
However, even if all this is possible, it is most likely that both they and the others will have to sign up for an express French course. This is so because the other great curiosity is the presence, not of one but of two clear contenders for gold, who share a language and passport.
Marie Eve Gahié, current European champion and world champion in 2019, returns like a rocket to the top of the world after a couple of years with doubts and a performance well below her level, as if the universal title had caused a trust problem. Her mediocre results favoured the rise of her most direct opponent, Margaux Pinot, Olympic mixed team champion.
They know each other as if they were sisters and have made -70kg their private garden because they participate together in the most important tournaments. Their rivalry is top level because only one can participate in the Games. Pinot was the chosen one for Tokyo and Gahié does not want to be the discarded once again now that Paris 2024 shows its nose. As the final goal is Olympic participation, both constantly push the limits of the demand, which causes a domino effect in the entire category. Winning gold at this weight is the fruit of merit because nobody can do it at half throttle.
On the other hand and this is the consequence of their omnipresence, the two French women carry the double pressure of competing internally for individual glory at the service of France, while setting the tone, that is, diverting the attention of observers and that vigilance subtracts coercion and gives more lightness and freedom to the others, starting with Matic.
In short, the situation is like a double-edged sword because, although it is true that French is the most widely used language, its use does not guarantee the success of the negotiations.