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Luka Mkheidze Advances to Semifinals as French Fans Rally at Paris Olympics

Posted : 27 July 2024

French judoka Luka Mkheidze advanced to the semifinals of the men's -60kg extra lightweight category on Saturday, aiming to secure the host nation's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Mkheidze, who previously won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games, was buoyed by the enthusiastic support of fans waving French flags and displaying a large poster of him. He achieved victory over South Korea's Kim Won-jin and will next compete against Turkey's Salih Yildiz.

 

In the same competition, Taiwan's Yang Yung-wei, who earned a silver medal in Tokyo, was eliminated in an early upset by Kazakhstan's Yeldos Smetov, preventing him from reaching the quarterfinals. Smetov will now face Spain's Francisco Garrigos in the other semifinal. Garrigos triumphed over Japanese judoka Ryuju Nagayama, who controversially stayed on the mat for several minutes after his loss, visibly upset with the referee's decision to award the victory by Ippon to the Spaniard, leading to boos from the crowd.

 

The atmosphere at the venue lifted considerably later in the morning when French judokas Shirine Boukli and Mkheidze both secured significant victories nearly simultaneously. The crowd, in high spirits, sang the French national anthem as the two athletes took to the mat, celebrating their achievements and showcasing strong support for the host nation’s competitors.

 

However, Boukli's journey in the women's -48kg extra lightweight category was halted by Japan's three-time world champion Natsumi Tsunoda, who will go on to face 18-year-old Swedish judoka Tara Babulfath in the semifinals. Meanwhile, the other semifinal will see Mongolian Baasankhuu Bavuudorj compete against Spain's Laura Martinez Abelenda.

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