MANILA – The quest for Olympic slots continues for Filipino-Japanese judokas Shugen and Keisei Nakano who’re scheduled to compete on the Tel Aviv Grand Slam in Israel from Feb. 16 to 18.
A complete of 404 athletes – 227 males and 177 ladies – from 54 international locations are entered within the second match below the International Judo Federation (IJF) World Tour.
The Nakano twins and Kiyomi Watanabe noticed motion on the Grand Prix Portugal two weeks in the past.
Shugen, 26, bowed to Karim Adarvez of Argentina within the first spherical of the lads’s minus 66kg class whereas Keisei misplaced to Uranbayar Odgerel of Mongolia within the males’s minus 73kg class.
“At the Grand Prix Portugal, we lost after taking a point at the end of extra time. I am very disappointed that I didn’t get the chance. I think it was a game where my weak points came out at the end,” world No. 99 Shugen mentioned in a web-based interview on Wednesday.
“After the tournament in Portugal, I went to Valencia, Spain for a two-week training camp to overcome my weaknesses. I hope to be able to demonstrate the results of this at the Tel Aviv Grand Slam,” added Shugen, who beat Kerin Vasapolli of French Polynesia within the finals of the 2022 Tahiti Oceania Open to say his first medal and title in an Olympic qualifier.
The 26-year-old Watanabe, one other Filipino-Japanese who noticed motion on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was additionally eradicated by Diassonema Mucungui within the first spherical of the ladies’s minus 63kg class.
Watanabe, ranked No. 117 on this planet, didn’t defend her Southeast Asian (SEA) Games title in Vietnam final yr as a consequence of a foot harm. Despite her absence, the Philippines managed to win two gold medals coming from Shugen and Rena Furukawa, who triumphed within the ladies’s minus 57kg class. World No. 85 Keisei pocketed a silver medal.
The 4 judokas will lead the Philippine marketing campaign within the Cambodia SEA Games set on May 5-17.
“There are also a number of Olympic qualifying competitions leading up to May. But I always keep in mind the gold medal at the Cambodia SEA Games. I will continue to do my best,” mentioned Shugen, a SEA Games double-gold medalist.
Meanwhile, Philippine Judo Federation (PJF) former president and present secretary normal David Carter emphasised the necessity to compete within the Olympic qualifiers.
“All the tournaments under the IJF World Tour are Olympic qualifying events. The more tournaments our athletes join, the more points they earn,” he mentioned.
Aside from the Cambodia SEA Games, the nationwide judokas are gearing up for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China slated to be held on Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. (PNA)