Ndiaye already has two junior world medals, two World Judo Tour medals and an appearance at the Olympic Games; she is still a teenager! She is also ranked 14th in the world at senior level but has a far less significant junior ranking. However, Mio Shirakane (JPN) was able to send her home at 10:05am, beating her in ne-waza after more than 5 minutes of contest time. Shirakane’s next opponent was to be the current junior world number one Bianca Reis (BRA).
Reis played a very intelligent game against Shirakane (JPN). The Japanese entry had looked set to extend the theme of day one, that of the Japanese storming through regardless of ranking. Reis had other ideas and showed why she is junior world number one. She has won gold at her last four continental cups and has a world cadet medal. She understands the rules very well and is in full control of her pace and position. It is an impressive maturity that allows her to maintain composure under Japanese pressure, owning her space without concession.
The contest was very tight, as tight as one can be. A shido to one and then the other until there were two apiece. Several attacks from Shirakane were on the border of the false attack definition while Reis was facing the time running out and non-combativity being listed as her 3rd shido, but she was calm, brought new energy when needed and attacked well at exactly the right moments. Eventually, towards the tenth minute of fighting, the Japanese frustration became clear and she crossed the border, earning her final shido for a false attack. Reis had done it, had passed the toughest road block on her path to the gold medal she was aiming at.
There are no guarantees, especially at an event of this level. Shirakane had thought life might be easier after pushing Ndiaye back to the tribunes but again we can say it, there are no guarantees; it was a consistent, controlled junior who defeated the Japanese, not the Olympian. The level in Dushanbe is very high indeed.
