Another heartbreaker as PH judoka Kiyomi Watanabe suffers early Olympic exit

MANILA, Philippines – A return trip to the Olympics proved to be another heartbreaker for Filipina-Japanese judoka Kiyomi Watanabe.

Watanabe suffered an early exit from the Paris Olympics as she bowed to China’s Tang Jing in the round of 32 of the women’s -63kg division at the Champ-de-Mars Arena on Tuesday, July 30.

The contest lasted just 51 seconds as Tang, who is ranked No. 22 in the world and bagged silver in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last year, won via ippon.

In judo, an ippon can be scored by throwing an opponent on their back with force, compelling an opponent to submission with a choke or joint lock, or pinning an opponent down on their back for 20 seconds.

Going to work early, Tang accomplished the last as she advanced to the round of 16.

The swift defeat of Watanabe brought back memories of her painful campaign in the Tokyo Games, where she also got the boot in the round of 32, losing to Spain’s Cristina Cabana Perez via ippon in the first 38 seconds.

Despite her exit, Watanabe, who delivered a silver for the Philippines in the 2018 Asian Games, still achieved a rare distinction.

The four-time Southeast Asian Games champion became just the third judoka from the Philippines – and the first in over three decades – to compete in multiple Olympic editions.

John Baylon and Jerry Dino were the last to achieve the feat when they donned the national colors in the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Games. – Rappler.com