Japanese Judoka Kishi Claims Victory at Saint-Gratien Tournament

Strongest Senior Tournament of the Season

Saint-Gratien, France – The Excellence seniors tournament held this past Sunday at the Michel Hidalgo stadium gymnasium saw a remarkable turnout with 473 judokas competing – 137 women and 336 men. The event is being hailed as the strongest senior tournament of the season so far.

Factors Contributing to High Participation

Several factors contributed to the impressive number of participants. These included the absence of senior-level European competitions this weekend, the tournament’s location within the Île-de-France league (the largest in terms of licensed athletes and high-level structures), and its position as the first major tournament of its kind since the French 1st division championships in Saint-Étienne in mid-December.

Key Victories

The tournament showcased several notable performances:

• Yahn Motoly Bongambé (AJA Paris XX) won in the -60kg category, repeating his victory over Mohamed Guerrirem (ESSM Judo) from the Noisy-le-Grand tournament last October. A perfect ko-uchi makikomi allowed the Parisian to once again beat Mohamed Guerrirem, a judoka known for his consistency.
• Takezo Kishi of Japan emerged victorious in the -66kg division.
• Mélodie Turpin (JC Pontault-Combault) secured a win in -70kg.
• Haruka Funakubo (ACBB Judo) won in -63kg.

Kishi’s Journey to Victory

Takezo Kishi, who is married to Ai Tsunoda-Roustant and competes under a Spanish license, demonstrated his skill throughout the competition. Originally considered for recruitment by the JSDF Physical Training School (the Japanese army team), he ultimately chose to join his wife in Spain, competing for the Lleida club. If the first sequences of his first fight were a little tough, this judoka then took the full measure of his next five matches, this Sunday. His de-ashi-barai against Evan Leclerc (Martial Arts Asnières) was particularly noteworthy.

Looking Ahead

The next competition on the schedule is the Excellence tournament in Saint-Raphaël on March 22nd, followed by qualifying championships for the France 2nd division championships on June 6th in Villebon.

The Saint-Gratien tournament proved to be a significant event in the judo calendar, setting the stage for further competition and showcasing the talent within the sport.