PARIS (AP) — The Abe siblings’ dream of winning judo gold medals for Japan on the same day in their second straight Olympics ended early on Sunday with Uta Abe’s shocking loss to Diyora Keldiyorova of Uzbekistan in the round of 16.
Uta Abe and her older brother, Hifumi, both won gold in their home Tokyo Olympics, and they both won world championships in each of the two years since 2021. But they won’t go home from the Paris Games with another matching set of medals after Keldiyorova beat Abe with a tani otoshi throw for a spectacular ippon 3:04 into their match.
Uta Abe was disconsolate after a loss that clearly stunned her as much as the crowd. The 24-year-old hadn’t been beaten in any competition since 2019, and it was only her second loss since 2016.
After struggling to get to her feet and to step down from the tatami, Uta Abe knelt and wept in the arms of her coach for at least three minutes after her bout. Her sorrow delayed the next match at Arena Champ-de-Mars in the women’s 52-kilogram category, which she has dominated for years.
Uta Abe didn’t speak to dozens of reporters gathered after her bout, with her team saying she was too upset. Indeed, her disconsolate sobbing could be heard from dozens of yards outside the tent where she was gathering herself outside the arena.
The Abe siblings are huge celebrities in Japan and in the judo world with their photogenic smiles and uncommonly demonstrative personalities, but Uta Abe was unable to add a second Olympic gold medal to her Tokyo gold and four world championships.
“I want to be invincible in everyone’s eyes,” Uta Abe told Olympics.com shortly before the Paris Games. “Somebody who nobody expects to lose, and is stronger than words can describe.”
Uta Abe had two matches Sunday before Hifumi Abe even got onto the tatami, thanks to an opening-round bye.
Hifumi Abe didn’t let his sister’s loss affect him in his first two matches. The 26-year-old’s Paris debut ended in 59 seconds with a violent ippon of Bence Pongracz of Hungary, and he fought through a bloody nose to reach the semifinals an hour later with another ippon victory over Nurali Emomali of Tajikistan, who injured his left arm while reaching out in a fruitless attempt to break his fall.
Hifumi Abe hasn’t lost a match since 2019.
Uta Abe’s loss is another early blow for Japan’s vaunted judo team, which won nine gold medals and 12 total medals in this Japanese-born sport three years ago at its home Olympics.
Natsumi Tsunoda won Japan’s first gold medal in Paris on Saturday with her victory in the women’s 48-kilogram category, but Ryuju Nagayama settled for a bronze medal in men’s 60-kilogram after a controversial loss to Francisco Garridos of Spain.
Tsunoda was the last person to beat Uta Abe by ippon before Sunday. The veteran did it in the final of the Tokyo Grand Slam in 2016 with an arm lock on the 16-year-old prodigy.
Keldiyorova is also an elite competitor, winning silver medals at the last two world championships. She entered the Olympics ranked No. 1 in the 52-kilo category, well ahead of Uta Abe, who didn’t participate in this year’s world championships.
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