There was a shock defeat for the judokas of Japan at the spiritual home of the sport they introduced to the world as France snaffled Olympic gold in the inaugural mixed team event with a lopsided score of 4-1. In the brief history of the event, Japan is the only nation to have won gold at four consecutive world championships. France took silver on three of those occasions.
At Tokyo 2020, France went some way to avenging those losses as they secured the Olympic title.
“It is amazing for the team of France to win, win, win – here at the Budokan,” said Teddy Riner (FRA), who became the first person to win five Olympic medals in judo.
“Everyone on this team is incredible, every one of them,” said his teammate Axel Clerget, who lost his match in the team quarterfinal but bounced back with two straight victories.
“We were there for each other, each one of us supporting the others. The team really lifted me up,” he said.
All members of the French team, not just those who fought in the mixed team event, were awarded medals.
In mixed team, nations select three men and three women, each from a different weight class. Strategy plays a part, but the fights are individual and the score is cumulative. The first team to win four contests takes the match.
France needed only five fights to beat Japan.
Clarisse Agbegnenou (FRA), the -63kg gold medallist, and Clerget opened with back-to-back wins for the French but Sone Akira (JPN), the women’s heavyweight champion at Tokyo 2020, defeated bronze medallist Romane Dicko (FRA) to halve the advantage.
Riner took to the tatami next to face Aaron Wolf (JPN).
Wolf won gold in the men’s -100kg but was tasked with a monumental mission in bringing down the eight-time world heavyweight champion who stands more than 20cm taller and 40 kilograms heavier. Riner prevailed and would not be denied a third Olympic gold.
The bronze medals went to Germany and Israel.
In a team event for what is usually an individual pursuit, the scoreboard required an extra column to tally aggregate points.
Team benches were installed to one side of the tatami, the judoka spilling out of their pens to jump and cheer and warm up for their bout.
Although Japan were forced to settle for silver in this event the hosts won nine of the 15 golds on offer, part of a tally of 12 medals in total (two silvers and one bronze), matching their tally at Rio 2016 and maintaining their place as the country with the most Olympic medals in the sport.