First and last for Japan

TOKYO • Naohisa Takato won the final of the men's 60kg judo to give hosts Japan their first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics yesterday, defeating Yang Yung-wei of Chinese Taipei in the final.

His win underscored Japan's strength at a sport that originated in the country, while bronzes went to Kazakhstan's Yeldos Smetov and France's Luka Mkheidze.

The dramatic win, clinched during golden score extra time after Yang was disqualified for committing his third foul, left Takato in tears. It was in contrast to the lack of fans at an empty Nippon Budokan, the home of Japanese martial arts and concerts.

"I think today is a result of all of the support I have received up till this point. I have really given coach (Kosei) Inoue a hard time, so I am glad I could come through with this result today," he told Kyodo News.

"I can't really think about anything right now, but I am very thankful that the Tokyo Olympics were able to be hosted.

"I wasn't able to have a big decisive victory, but this is my judo. I just want to thank everyone for rooting for me. I want to polish my techniques as a gold medallist."

Japan's triple world champion Takato, a bronze medallist at the Rio 2016 Games, had a close shave in his quarter-final in the 60kg class, also winning during golden score extra time on a foul by his Georgian opponent Lukhumi Chkhvimiani.

In the elimination round of 16, Takato had delivered an ippon - judo's equivalent of a knockout - against Belgian Jorre Verstraeten.

Japanese female judoka Funa Tonaki reached the final in her 48kg class but lost to Kosovo's Distria Krasniqi.

Her silver, though, was her country's first medal of the Games.

Tonaki, a one-time world champion making her Olympic debut, won a nailbiting semi-final with an ippon by pinning Ukraine's Daria Bilodid in golden score extra time.

In between matches at the eight-sided Nippon Budokan, which was built for the Olympics Japan hosted in 1964, sanitation workers poured disinfectant spray over yellow tatami mats to minimise the risk of coronavirus infection.

Blaring pop, rock and dance music was used to generate an atmosphere before the bouts.

Despite the two judo medals, Japan suffered disappointment elsewhere on the opening day, though, with gymnastics great Kohei Uchimura crashing out early.

The 32-year-old "King" Kohei's distinguished Olympic career came to a shock end when he suffered a crash landing and failed to qualify for the horizontal bar final.

The man who reigned supreme in the all-around over two Olympic cycles - winning every world and Olympic title from 2009 to 2016 in the event that tests skills across six apparatus - had opted to concentrate on just the horizontal bar at the Tokyo Olympics after injuries took a toll on his body.

But, after losing his grip while rotating around the bar, he had no chance of reaching the apparatus final and a shot at an eighth Olympic medal.

Uchimura, the only active gymnast close to matching American Simone Biles' gravity-defying skills and popularity - at least in Japan - had hoped to give the home crowd one more thrill and take a glorious final bow.

But a Covid-19 pandemic that has left all Olympic venues empty of spectators and an uncharacteristic slip denied the Japanese favourite the rousing send-off he deserved.

After falling to the mat with a thud, Uchimura returned to complete his routine before walking off forlornly knowing his fate had been sealed with a low score of 13.866, his Olympic career effectively ending with a whimper in the eerily quiet arena.

"I don't want to look back on it because I failed," said Uchimura, who did not rule out competing again at the world championships later this year in Japan.

"In the last three Olympics I was always able to perform what I practised.

"I don't have that skill any more, I am past my peak. I just have to accept that calmly."

Swimmer Daiya Seto failed even to make the final of the 400m individual medley, despite hopes he could win the event.

He was among the favourites but finished a disappointing fifth in his heat to miss out on the final as the swimming programme opened.

His 4min 10.52sec was almost two seconds short of the one that saw him claim victory at the 2019 World Championships.

"I didn't let it all out and I regret that," Seto said afterwards.

"In Rio five years ago I went too fast in the prelims and couldn't work my best in the finals, so I tried to avoid that situation. In the last 100 I didn't let it all out."

Seto, who also claimed bronze in the 400m individual medley in Rio, will now hope to make amends in the 200m butterfly tomorrow and the 200m individual medley on Wednesday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS