Judo: Dominant Murao, Tanaka capture maiden golds at worlds
BUDAPEST (Kyodo) -- Sanshiro Murao won his maiden judo world championships title in an all-Japanese final on Tuesday, with Shiho Tanaka joining her compatriot in also triumphing for the first time.
Paris Olympics silver medalist Murao stormed to the men's 90-kilogram final with four straight ippon wins in Budapest. He drew three shido penalties in overtime in the final from compatriot and last year's world champion Goki Tajima to secure the title.
"I was focused on things I had to do," said Murao, whose foot-throwing techniques shone throughout the day as he outclassed Paris bronze medalist Maxime-Gael Ngayap Hambou of France in the last eight and Georgian Luka Maisuradze, the 2023 world champion, in the semifinals.
The 24-year-old Murao, whose mother is from the United States, reveled in the win after he was left devastated last summer in Paris following a closely contested final loss to Georgian Lasha Bekauri, who won back-to-back Olympic golds.
"This was a tournament I wanted to become the world champion whatever it took," Murao said. "I came in putting myself under pressure, thinking that I can't win at the Los Angeles Olympics if I can't win on a big stage like this. I put on my best performance."
Tanaka, like Murao, became world champion in her third tournament appearance after the 26-year-old toppled the world's top-ranked judoka Lara Cvjetko of Croatia in the women's 70-kg final, grabbing a yuko in overtime with her own foot-throwing skill.
"I wanted to produce aggressive judo and that led to the win," said Tanaka, who reached the top after coming back from a severe right knee injury suffered on her tournament debut in 2022.
"I was in a state where I couldn't tell if I would ever be able to compete in judo again. I hit rock bottom," she said. "I've given my all thinking I can only get the payback by winning at worlds."
Japan has won a total of six gold medals at the ongoing worlds, the most since winning seven in 2018.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Suzuki's 3-run homer lifts Cubs past Brewers
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 16:46 | Sports, All Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run home run to steer the Chicago Cubs to a 5-3 comeback win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, their third straight victory. With the Cubs trailing 2-1 with one out in the fifth, Suzuki ripped a 1-0 sinker from Chad Patrick (3-7) into the left-center stands at Wrigley Field for a 4-2 lead. It was Suzuki's only hit of the game as he struck out twice before his home run and once after, but he took his season RBI tally to 61, only two behind Major League Baseball RBI leader Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. Suzuki already has 18 home runs this season and is set to better his career-high 21 last year, a Japanese record in the majors for right-handed hitters. "This year, I'm conscious of swinging aggressively without fearing strikeouts," Suzuki said. "I'm managing to hit the ball at the right point." Pete Crow-Armstrong's solo shot in the eighth kept him one ahead of close teammate Suzuki for the team lead in homers this season. "I'm happy, but I also feel like, 'Why did you hit one,'" Suzuki joked. A day after pitching for the first time for the Los Angeles Dodgers, two-way star Shohei Ohtani struck out four times and was hit by a pitch as they beat the San Diego Padres 8-6 for their fourth straight win. Related coverage: Baseball: Ohtani returns to MLB mound, drives in 2 in win over Padres
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Suzuki's 3-run homer lifts Cubs past Brewers
KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 16:46 | Sports, All Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run home run to steer the Chicago Cubs to a 5-3 comeback win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, their third straight victory. With the Cubs trailing 2-1 with one out in the fifth, Suzuki ripped a 1-0 sinker from Chad Patrick (3-7) into the left-center stands at Wrigley Field for a 4-2 lead. It was Suzuki's only hit of the game as he struck out twice before his home run and once after, but he took his season RBI tally to 61, only two behind Major League Baseball RBI leader Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. Suzuki already has 18 home runs this season and is set to better his career-high 21 last year, a Japanese record in the majors for right-handed hitters. "This year, I'm conscious of swinging aggressively without fearing strikeouts," Suzuki said. "I'm managing to hit the ball at the right point." Pete Crow-Armstrong's solo shot in the eighth kept him one ahead of close teammate Suzuki for the team lead in homers this season. "I'm happy, but I also feel like, 'Why did you hit one,'" Suzuki joked. A day after pitching for the first time for the Los Angeles Dodgers, two-way star Shohei Ohtani struck out four times and was hit by a pitch as they beat the San Diego Padres 8-6 for their fourth straight win. Related coverage: Baseball: Ohtani returns to MLB mound, drives in 2 in win over Padres
The Mainichi
5 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Judo: Dominant Murao, Tanaka capture maiden golds at worlds
BUDAPEST (Kyodo) -- Sanshiro Murao won his maiden judo world championships title in an all-Japanese final on Tuesday, with Shiho Tanaka joining her compatriot in also triumphing for the first time. Paris Olympics silver medalist Murao stormed to the men's 90-kilogram final with four straight ippon wins in Budapest. He drew three shido penalties in overtime in the final from compatriot and last year's world champion Goki Tajima to secure the title. "I was focused on things I had to do," said Murao, whose foot-throwing techniques shone throughout the day as he outclassed Paris bronze medalist Maxime-Gael Ngayap Hambou of France in the last eight and Georgian Luka Maisuradze, the 2023 world champion, in the semifinals. The 24-year-old Murao, whose mother is from the United States, reveled in the win after he was left devastated last summer in Paris following a closely contested final loss to Georgian Lasha Bekauri, who won back-to-back Olympic golds. "This was a tournament I wanted to become the world champion whatever it took," Murao said. "I came in putting myself under pressure, thinking that I can't win at the Los Angeles Olympics if I can't win on a big stage like this. I put on my best performance." Tanaka, like Murao, became world champion in her third tournament appearance after the 26-year-old toppled the world's top-ranked judoka Lara Cvjetko of Croatia in the women's 70-kg final, grabbing a yuko in overtime with her own foot-throwing skill. "I wanted to produce aggressive judo and that led to the win," said Tanaka, who reached the top after coming back from a severe right knee injury suffered on her tournament debut in 2022. "I was in a state where I couldn't tell if I would ever be able to compete in judo again. I hit rock bottom," she said. "I've given my all thinking I can only get the payback by winning at worlds." Japan has won a total of six gold medals at the ongoing worlds, the most since winning seven in 2018.
