 |
| Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Judo - Men's 81kg - Gold medal match - Nippon Budokan - Tokyo, Japan - July 27, 2021. Takanori Nagase of Japan reacts after winning gold against Saeid Mollaei of Mongolia.(File photo by= REUTERS/Sergio Perez) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] During the Tokyo Olympics last Tuesday, Takanori Nagase defeated Mongolia's Saeid Mollaei in the men's 81-kilogram final, snatching another judo gold for Japan, Kyodo reported.
Nagase, an Olympic bronze medalist in Rio five years ago, became the first Japanese to win this event since Makoto Takimoto achieved the feat at the 2000 Sydney Games. Nagase had his work cut out to survive some heated battles against the world's best, his win the culmination of a long road back from a knee injury. The victory was all the sweeter for Nagase after the extended break he was forced to take from the sport due to a ligament tear he suffered in his right knee at the 2017 world championships, an injury that required surgery.
Japan has won five gold medals at the Tokyo tournament, including all four of the men's weight classes contested so far. The four men's golds are Japan's most ever in the seven weight divisions and matched the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where eight weight classes were contested, including the open category. Meanwhile, Five-time world champion Clarisse Agbegnenou of France, meanwhile, didn’t disappoint as she won a rematch of the Rio Games final against Tina Trstenjak of Slovenia to capture her maiden Olympic title in the women's 63-kg class.
