Tears flowed from Japanese judo star Ota Abe after suffering her first defeat in five years at an official competition, as she exited in the Round of 16 in the women's events at the Paris 2024 Olympics yesterday, Sunday. Abe lost to Uzbekistan's Giura Kildiorrova, who secured the victory just three minutes before the end of their match in the under 52-kilogram weight category.
Abe, a four-time world champion and gold medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, appeared deeply affected by the loss. She collapsed into her coach's arms and cried for several minutes, unable to stand on her feet. This was Abe's first official match loss since 2019, and she was a prominent contender for the gold in her weight class in Paris.
The 24-year-old Abe won the gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 shortly after her brother, Hifumi Abe, achieved the same feat. Earlier, the four-time world champion, who had participated in only one tournament this year, secured a comfortable win against Canadian Kelly Deguchi before losing to Kildiorrova.
On the other hand, Hifumi Abe successfully defended his Olympic title and won the gold medal in the men's judo category at 66 kilograms on the same day, despite his younger sister's unexpected loss. Hifumi clinched the gold with a 10-0 victory in the final against Brazilian William Lima, who took the silver medal.
