Madeleine Malunga, Money and Regret – Release

Pinned to the floor in an initially insignificant measure by her Japanese rival Hamada Shouri, the French woman was picked cool from the start of the final weighing under 78kg in her hand.

From a purely accounting standpoint, Madeleine Malunga did the job. On Thursday in Tokyo, the good student of the tatami, applied and secret, won his 10th medal for the blues, the fifth the fighters have returned in kimonos (after Mkheidze bronze, Bouchard and Sisek’s silver and of course, Agbégnénou gold).

But her metal, her money, has the color of remorse. Pinned to the floor in an initially unimportant measure by her Japanese competitor, Shuri Hamada, the French woman was chosen cold from the start of the final weighing under 78kg in her hand. A theft that is hard to comprehend for fans paper house, who had defeated the Japanese in these places two years ago, in the respected Nippon Budokan.

It was in the final of the World Championships, and Malonga, the long standing competitor of the great Audrey Chomio (double Olympic medalist in London and Rio), imposed her large compasses (1m 82 under the scale) on the roof of Mount Fuji martial arts.

Olympic mountain

Her understated performance in the infectious supremacy of the Tricolor Female Armada (during 2019 worlds the French took two more titles), this daughter of nurses and sister of nursing assistants ended up dominating seasons without warning. covid, with a second European title in 2020, while remaining under the reign of Agbenio and Renner’s return. Upon arriving in Tokyo, ranked No. 1 in the world, he only had one peak to climb to catch the light: the Olympic mountain.

Quick at the start of the day against Austrian Bernadette Graf, Cuban physical Calima Antomarchi, before leaving the Korean in the semi-finals with three penalties, suffered at the end of a purely tactical battle, as if she were holding. his power to the final. This was without counting Hamada’s ingenuity in new waza (Judo on the ground).

“I might then realize it was a great medal, but I wanted so much to win it [cette finale, ndlr]Captivated, crying, into the microphone of France TV. We know this may only happen once in a lifetime.” Words uttered in the sting of defeat: At 27, star athlete member Blanc Mesnil has the right to hope for revenge in Paris, in three years’ time.