Kiyomi Watanabe, ranked 92nd in the world, bid her redemption hopes sayonara after a Round of 32 defeat by China’s 22nd-ranked Tang Jing in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Judo in the women’s minus-63 kg weight class.
Determined to make up for her swift, 38-second Olympic debut in her father’s country in the 2020 Tokyo Games, Watanabe took to Mat 2 on Tuesday at the Champs-de-Mars Arena.
Although Tang’s initial sweep attempt was unsuccessful, she eventually sent Watanabe to the mat.
Watanabe tried to get up from the hold, but Tang maintained her grip and won via ippon with kuzure-kesa-gatame after just 51 seconds.
Watanabe will try to bounce back in her next competitions as she aims for a third consecutive Olympic Games appearance in Los Angeles four years later.
