Japan brought out the third row to face the a second round match against the Dominican Republic, while France used almost all its arsenal to stop Georgia. Both were favourites and got off to a comfortable, stress-free start.
Uzbekistan were riding high from their singles titles and eliminated Austria before Israel stopped them. If the hosts have done much more than deliver, Israel needs a medal to camouflage the lack of medals, just as it happened at the Tokyo Games. The Israelis played against Korea for a place in the semi-finals. Like everything they've been doing for days, their fights were tight and suspenseful. These teams tied at three and it was the two heavyweights, Hayun Kim and Raz Hershko, who had to decide the overall score. In the previous bout, Kim had been superior, but Hershko gave Israel the win with an excellent waza-ari followed by osae-komi.
Olympic champions France waited in the semi-finals, having easily eliminated Georgia and China. That the French were on the penultimate step was normal, that they won easily, too, but since in the individual tournament the balance was not particularly glorious, there was curiosity to see how they would react.
On the other side of the table, Japan organised a parade against the Dominicans and the Dutch. 8 wins, no losses, they did something similar at the Games but ended up losing the final. They were in the semi-finals and would fight for the medals against Germany. The Germans put all the meat on the grill with a team that included Anna-Maria Wagner, Miriam Butkereit, Eduard Trippel and Johannes Frey. That is, the country wanted a medal and it was not a joke line-up. Germany had to defeat Mongolia and Ukraine, two very attractive teams, well structured and well balanced. They also wanted a medal, which helped us to observe the degree of commitment of the Germans and their state of form because, if Wagner disappointed in the individual competition, in the mixed team tournament she became a true leader. Now, it is one thing to defeat the Mongolia of Tsend-Ochir and the Ukraine of Lytvynenko and Bilodid but quite another to make Japan bend the knee. So let’s go with the semi-finals and we start with the top of the board.
France went to the top of the score sheet very fast by winning the first two contests. In the third, what could have been a final in the individual contest between Romane Dicko and Raz Hershko, ended with a third French win and then a first match ball for France. Peter Paltchik couldn't lose against Joseph Terhec. The Israeli competes at -100kg and the Frenchman is a heavyweight but Paltchik is powerful and fast and he is very good at fighting against representatives of the higher category. In Tashkent he won all three of his bouts by scoring waza-ari or outright ippon. The second match ball was for Sarah Leonie Cysique, facing Timna Nelson Levy and the Israeli scored a very prompt waza-azi. Cysique's teammates started to get nervous, until Cysique achieved a gigantic ippon that sealed the French passport to the final.
Wagner did not compete against Japan, instead, the Germans aligned Alina Boehm, who had defeated her compatriot in the quarter-finals of the individual tournament. Nor did Miriam Butkereit participate. Japan did the same and did not present the same squad, but incorporated Kosuke Mashiyama and Wakaba Tomita. Mashiyama had the pleasure of winning against Eduard Trippel. Japan completed another walk, 12 victories without any defeat and they looked sideways at the tatami next door to see if France qualified ready for Japanto be able to adjust pending accounts.
We said it a few days ago but we don't mind repeating it. It's a pleasure to see the Chinese back and even more so when they're in a world bronze qualifier. It is also a pleasure to attend the commitment of the great stars, in this case Wagner and Trippel, to give two examples. Trippel won his match, but Wagner lost hers against the heavy Shiyan Xu, who scored waza-ari and evened the score. Johannes Frey defeated Ruixuan Li with waza-ari and osae-komi. We tell you the details because it was intense and the atmosphere was excellent in the stadium. Qi Cai tried to draw 2-2 against Pauline Starke. The German started as favourite, and despite the sensational performance of the Chinese, Germany won and went 3-1, one victory away from bronze. Daga Qing had the onus to keep China's hopes alive but Igor Wandtke scored a massive waza-ari with twenty seconds to go.
A bronze was missing to be shared between the Netherlands and Israel and both teams brought out their best arsenal. Frank De Wit opened hostilities against Guy Gurevitch and the Dutchman pulled out a monster ippon against a heavier judoka. This De Wit is the soldier who works hard and never gives up, the favourite of any general. The Dutch strategy was the same in the next fight. Steenhuis Guusje, -78kg, against heavyweight Raz Hershko but Hershko is clever and quick and scored waza-ari surprising her rival and she repeated it a minute later. 1-1. The third fight was explosive between two of the greats, who also belong to the same category. Michael Korrel, bronze medal in the individuals, against Peter Paltchik, winner of his three bouts in the preliminaries. They cancelled each other out and charged up the shido. In golden score, Korrel surprised Paltchik, waza-ari and 2-1 for the Netherlands. Timna Nelson Levy didn't have a good morning, losing all of her bouts, but she had to beat Pleuni Cornelisse, by ranking and experience, and there was no suspense in this bout. What was exciting was the score, 2-2. Ido Levin scored the ippon of the day against Ivo Verhorstert and made it 3-2 on the scoreboard. Maya Goshen could spike but Sanne Vermeer could equalise at three and force a tie break. Golden score and two shido against Vermeer, which is better on paper, but Maya had prepared the match-up very well. Then the worst thing that can happen to an athlete happened. Vermeer was injured and had to leave. Israel deserved the victory but we would have preferred a sporting and not a medical outcome.
The finale is the never ending story. At Tokyo 2019 Japan won the world title against France. At Tokyo 2020, France won the Olympic title against Japan. In Tashkent, the third season of a saga that is already a thing of the legend, was celebrated. To start with, to check the temperature of the water, Mathieu Alexis against Tajima Goki. The Frenchman seemed superior, stronger, but you should never lower your guard against a Japanese fighter, who sent a first warning by throwing the Frenchman, without consequences, before knocking him down for a waza-ari that made a lot of noise on the tatami. Shortly after he scored ippon, 1-0 and the messages were over, France already knew that Japan had not digested the Olympic final. Romane Dicko vs. Wakaba Tomita was what we didn't see in the singles tournament. The French was the clear favourite but, you know, Japan etc. The thing lasted thirty seconds, Dicko's waza-ari, osae-komi, 1-1 and the final going the right way, the one with the highest demand. By the way, we just scored Japan's first loss in the team competition. Joseph Terhec vs. Hyoga Ota was the next round. Terhec was fooled by the Japanese, who was faster than he seemed from his physique. A little sweep, French on the floor and waza-ari. The Frenchman tried again but again was thrown, with the same technique, although without scoring. There are people who stumble twice on the same stone. To finish, Ota varied the pleasure and ended the match with osae-komi. 2-1 for Japan. Sarah Leonie Cysique entered the tatami and greeted Haruka Funakubo with a supersonic waza-ari, which was like saying there would be no capitulation. The French was better and did not let the Japanese breathe. A second waza-ari came using all its power and it was 2-2 for lovers of intrigue. We continue, with Joan-Benjamin Gaba in front of Kenshi Harada. To win here was to procure a match ball. The first minute was a waste of energy from both sides but with some good ground work from the Japanese. Both looked like fireproof batteries, it was clear that physical resistance would be the key. Gaba attempted a poorly prepared sacrifice technique and Harada jumped to attention and pinned him easily for the win. We told you he was good at ne-waza. 3-2, the equation was simple for France, win or die. For this France relied on Marie-Eve Gahié, who faced Saki Niizoe, with greater weight for the Frenchwoman who set the pace, but without being incisive and then she made the mistake of throwing herself to the ground and allowing herself to be strangled by Niizoe. Japan had warned, the team was very serious. 4-2 and the world title, the saga continues.
FINAL RESULTS
1. JAPAN
2. FRANCE
3. GERMANY
3. ISRAEL