Former world number ones, world champions and Olympic medallists line up behind her to compete for the day four gold and whoever comes out on top, it will be a magnificent win. Beauchemin-Pinard (CAN) sits just behind Van Lieshout but on the other side of the draw. In fact, the 4 quarter-finals would look like this if seeding were to be obeyed:
1 Van Lieshout (NED)
8 Takaichi (JPN)
4 Szymanska (POL)
5 Haecker (AUS)
2 Beauchemin-Pinard (CAN)
7 Leski (SLO)
3 Fazliu (KOS)
6 Agbegnenou (FRA)
The semi-finals should therefore be:
Van Lieshout vs Szymanska
and
Beauchemin-Pinard vs Fazliu
If the ranking is obeyed fully, the gold medallist should be the Dutch starlet, beating world and current Olympic medallist Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard but is that how it’s going to go down? Six-time world champion and 2021 Olympic champion Clarisse Agbegnenou is at home, is confident and is in possession of the last Olympic title. She knows how it’s done. No woman in judo’s history has earned two golds and a silver medal at this level and Clarisse fancies being the first to do it!
Who can stop the top 8 from wiping the floor with the rest? Who can stop Clarisse reclaiming the top step? Tenacious Austrian Lubjana Piovesana can throw anyone and has also proven herself in ne-waza. She only took her first grand slam medal in October but since that first bronze has added two gold medals and several notable contest victories. Her improvement has been clear for all to see and it could be perfect timing for her to upset the expectations of most at this Games.
There’s also 6-time grand slam winner Lucy Renshall (GBR). Until a few months ago she was the world number one but an injury enforced some time out but she’s back. She’s yet to medal at a worlds or Olympics but every great champion has a first time. Can Lucy re-find her form and show everyone why she was world number one?
The men’s category on day four is among the most talked about throughout this Olympic cycle. Casse, Grigalashvili and Nagase have all won the highest accolades in the sport and have fought each other to do it. They’re all in the top 8 for this Games, with Casse and Nagase ready to meet in a potential semi-final match-up.
However, Lee has been on blistering form and at 22 brings new energy and excitement to the category. He’s medalled at the last two senior world championships and has no reservations about dispatching the biggest names. He beat Casse in the 2023 Tokyo Grand Slam final, Gaithier-Drapeau in both of their meetings and has even beaten Nagase in two out of their three contests.
His quarter-final would be closely watched by the rest as it should, if seedings are followed, be another he has beaten in their only meeting. The Olympic seedings at -81 kg tell us these should be the quarter-finals:
1 Matthias Casse (BEL)
8 Takanori Nagase (JPN)
4 Guilherme Schimidt (BRA)
5 Gauthier-Drapeau (CAN)
2 Tato Grigalashvili (GEO)
7 Somon Makhmadbekov (TJK)
3 Joonhwan Lee (KOR)
6 Zelim Tckaev (AZE)
The semi-finals should therefore be:
Casse vs Schimidt
and
Grigalashvili vs Lee
If the rankings were to be obeyed fully, the gold medallist would be Casse, beating Tato in the final, but he’s 4-2 down and has lost their last 3 fights; that stats are mounting against him. We can’t forget though, that the seedings are guarantees and no-one has arrived without working to peak at this Games.
How about Albayrak (TUR)? Unseeded in Paris but widely accepted as one of the strong men of the category. He’s a world medallist, a Masters medallist and he’s carrying a vast amount of experience on to the tatami of the Champs-de-Mars. Could he force a rethink among the rest?
What about the explosive Uzbek, Boltaboev? He’s struggled with consistency but held it all together and won in Kazakhstan just a few weeks ago. Has he planned his year correctly, bringing his best judo to Paris? He’s never easy to throw and if his head is screwed on the right way round he will certainly offer some challenges to the top men of the group.
Day four is looming ever closer and this final days of preparation are going to be crucial. The ranking is the gauntlet the judoka must challenge or uphold.