“This weekend was a different experience as I was working backstage where the warm-up space is. It’s also a different size of grand slam that I would not normally see from this position with the highs and lows of athletes in the preparation area of the event, the post-fight analyses and the coach briefings.
Today’s competition gave me the experience of judogi control but with the new rules and regulations. For some it was no problem, but for others it was quite challenging. The changes for some of the rules required adaptation and in a smooth way. Also, for the referees, they had no problem anticipating the new situations.
As for the contests, in all categories there were some predicted performances but also big surprises from athletes who over excelled themselves.
The Japanese were very strong and that was to be expected, no big surprise there. The French were also on form and in here the crowd always has a role to play to bring the French squad through.
I want to focus on 2 categories: -52kg and –73kg.
Buchard, number 1 seed at –52kg, was the biggest hope for France to take a medal. The challenge of the day was Krasniqi moving from –48kg and facing Buchard in the final. Buchard had a bye in the first round, but her journey towards the final was a solid performance without any doubt. In the bottom half of the draw we had Chelsie Giles, number 2 seed but also with Krasniqi in the same pool. Krasniqi defeated Giles as she defeated all opponents in her way, to reach the final with solid judo.
In the final there was an air of excitement and we weren’t sure of the way this match would end. Both athletes deserved gold medals based on their journey. Buchard, with the crowd and her experience had the edge. I think Krasniqi is growing in this category and feels comfortable. She will be a major contender for the Olympics.
As for –73kg, the Georgian number 1 seed was definitely in pole position for the podium. A couple of athletes could have upset him before the final results were settled, such as Basile and Hashimoto but they met in the semi-final in the best match of the day. Hashimoto won and faced Shavdatuashvili who cruised his way through to that final. He was never threatened; he was a clear favourite. In the final, it was an outstanding performance from the Georgian. He is really dominating his category and has been at the top for so long; an amazing track record. For me it was one of the matches of the day and one of the categories of the day too.”
