Japan’s defending Olympic judo champion Uta Abe at Paris Olympics 2024© AFP
Japan’s defending Olympic judo champion Uta Abe crashed out of the Paris Olympics 2024 in the second round of the women’s under-52kg competition after a shock defeat on Sunday. Abe, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago on the same day that brother Hifumi Abe won the men’s under-66kg category, lost to Uzbekistan’s Diyora Keldiyorova. Abe is a four-time world champion and was one of the favourites to take gold at the Champ de Mars Arena. But she left the mat in tears after losing her match by ippon. Hifumi Abe was due to face Hungary’s Bence Pongracz in the round of 16 later Sunday.
畳から出て…柔道女子52kg阿部詩選手の絶叫的号泣が耳から離れません… #柔道 #JUDO #阿部詩 #パリオリンピック柔道 #パリ五輪 #阿部一二三 #阿部兄妹 #UtaAbe pic.twitter.com/WmGxXVum16
— Lover Sweet∴∵∶∷Ex (@coolearth_jp) July 28, 2024
Japan’s Natsumi Tsunoda won gold in the women’s under-48kg competition on Saturday, beating Mongolia’s Baasankhuu Bavuudorj in the final.
Stunning Return For Biles
Simone Biles dazzled a star-studded crowd as she returned to the Olympic stage on Sunday while Paris braced for a blockbuster swimming duel on an action-packed day two at the Games.
Hollywood star Tom Cruise and pop stars Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande were among a host of A-listers crowded into a packed Bercy Arena as US superstar Biles began her quest for Olympic gymnastics redemption.
The 27-year-old four-time Olympic champion, widely regarded as the greatest gymnast in history, entered the arena to a standing ovation and a deafening roar greeted her introduction.
The American star acknowledged the support with a wave and she blew a kiss to the crowd after her image was flashed up on a giant scoreboard.
Biles opened her qualifying with a sublime performance on the beam and impressed in her floor routine after tweaking her left calf while warming up.
With two of the five qualifying sessions complete Biles topped the all-around standings with 59.566 points.
The 23-time world champion is competing in Paris three years after her campaign at the Tokyo Olympics unravelled due to a disorientating condition gymnasts call “twisties”.
She still went home with a silver and bronze and was lauded for speaking openly about her mental health struggles.
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