Perfection Has a Name

Abe ran over the Brazilian Taba, did the same with the Italian Giorda and stood in the semi-final accumulating an effective time on the tatami that did not exceed two minutes in three fights. The fourth win came after four minutes against Swiss Fabienne Kocher, who was no gift. Abe won and it was predicted but the Swiss, despite her combativeness, never gave the feeling that she could stop the Japanese. That was what caught our attention the most, Abe's feeling of absolute dominance in all her contests. 

This is a weight that allows itself the luxury of having two Olympic champions. To the aforementioned Abe we must add Distria Krasniqi, gold at -48kg, more comfortable at -52kg, and in the process of adaptation. Here we draw on the experience of our partner Jo Crowley, because what Krasniqi did in her first match was impressive. Jo explained to us how the Kosovar dedicated herself to playing, feeling and therefore risking a lethal counter-attack, against Cypriot Sofia Asvesta. You have to have a lot of courage to play with fire at this level. When Krasniqi was satisfied, she finished Asvesta mercilessly. The rest was a walk for the Kosovar, who had already made a mental note that she would face Abe; it was logical and nothing and no-one altered that omen. 

France's Amandine Buchard and Hungary's Reka Pupp weren't in Zagreb but if the world championship final was between Abe and Krasniqi we'd understand that too. They are extraordinary judoka and to see two Olympic champions face to face is something very beautiful. The difference is that where the Kosovar does everything well, the Japanese is perfect. Abe hit waza-ari followed by osae-komi. Her gold, Japan's second in Zagreb, was a warning to all the others, starting with Krasniqi. The boss is Abe and she has shown it. How to defeat her is the pending subject of the others. 

Ballhaus speaks German, Kocher we don't know for sure, nor do we know that, if they both speak German, might they have said something to each other before the bronze  medal match, but they did speak on the tatami, especially the Swiss, scoring waza-ari which was enough to take the win and the medal.

Gefen Primo defeated the Moroccan Soumayi Iraoui, who put in a great performance, but not enough to step on to the podium. The Moroccan was left at the gates, but her judo boded well for the remainder of the season, which is a lot.