PARIS : Japan’s Uta Abe, the reigning Olympic champion in the -52kg judo competition, suffered an upset defeat in the round of 16 on Sunday.
Abe, who had not lost a fight in an individual competition since 2019, was beaten by Uzbekistan’s Diyora Keldiyorova, twice silver medallist at the world championships.
After Keldiyorova had won by Ippon, Abe sank to her knees holding her head in her hands as she tried to come to terms with what had happened.
After saluting her opponent she struggled to walk and fell to her knees again before sobbing in the arms of her coach.
The 24-year-old Abe won the gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 shortly after her brother Hifumi Abe achieved the same feat.
The four-times world champion, who had only participated in one competition this year, started her day with an easy win over Canadian Kelly Deguchi.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
