Asian Games: China ends Japan's 20-year judo stranglehold

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SportsDOHA : China, powered by five women's gold medals, dethroned Japan from their 20-year domination of Asian Games judo on Tuesday as the birthplace of the martial art suffered a shattering blow to its reputation.
It was the first time since 1986, when South Korea grabbed six golds to Japan's two at the sport's Games debut in Seoul, that the Japanese had not finished on top of the medals table. The women's event started in 1990.

Liu Huanyuan threw down Tserenkhand Dorjgotov of Mongolia in the women's open-weight final to win China's fifth gold here, following compatriot Gao Feng's triumph in the 48kg bantamweight.

Japan and South Korea added one gold apiece to finish the four-day judo competition with four titles each. Mongolia stood with two golds and North Korea one.

China had set their target at three, all in the women's game.

\"China is the strongest country in Asia in judo,\" Liu said after flooring Dorjgotov, who won the over-78kg heavyweight on Saturday, with a 20-metre height advantage to end the fight in three minutes.

\"I was very confident to win the match. In the beginning I was impatient. But in the end I was very satisfied,\" said the 195cm (6'5\") Liu, 23, who was the 2003 heavyweight Asian champion. \"We are happy we have already five golds.\"

Japan saved some of their pride when Tatsuaki Egusa beat South Korean Chou Nam-Suk on points to win the 60kg bantamweight, the lightest men's division, after his three teammates settled for bronze medals on the final day.

Their only other men's gold came through 2003 world champion Yasuyuki Muneta in the over-100kg heavyweight.

In the men's showpiece open-weight final, South Korea's 2004 Asian champion Kim Sung-Bum floored Mahmoud Miran Fashandi of Iran with a counter throw in extra-time after a fierce battle without any effective throws.

It meant that the burly 32-year-old Iranian won his fifth Asiad medal after collecting the over-100kg title in 1994, 1998, 2002 and the open-class bronze in 2002. Doha was his last Asian Games.

Gao, the Olympic judo bronze medallist, immobilised defending champion Kim Young-Ran of South Korea in the women's 48kg bantamweight final.

Japan, who won a record eight Olympic gold medals at Athens 2004, had aimed to win a bulk of titles here to make up for their stunning defeat at the world team championships last September in Paris.

Japan failed to defend the men's and women's team titles to hosts France.

The men's squad lost to South Korea in the bronze-medal play-off while the women's team shared third spot with China.

\"We could not take advantage of what we had learned at the world team championships. We lacked the persistence to win,\" Japanese men's coach Hitoshi Saito said.

\"I acknowledge the disgrace but come home with my head up high. I must say this is not the end.\"

The Japanese team was without three-time men's bantamweight Olympic champion Tadahiro Nomura, who was dropped for his poor performance in Paris, and injury-hit Olympic and world heavyweight champions Keiji Suzuki and Kosei Inoue. - AFP/de



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