At the Abu Dhabi World Championships 2024, Ryuju Nagayama is the only Japanese athlete participating in the event and will also be representing Japan at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. Nagayama, at 28 years old, has already won two world bronze medals and was considered a strong contender for the gold in the -60kg category. He hoped to secure his first senior world title and step out of the shadow of his teammate, Naohisa Takato, a four-time world champion.
However, Nagayama faced a tough challenge in his opening match against Ayub Bliev of AIN. Bliev is a 26-year-old individual neutral athlete who had previously won three grand slam medals in the past seven months, including gold in Antalya. Despite defeating Bliev in a previous match, Nagayama was unable to replicate his success in Abu Dhabi.
In the match, Bliev utilized aggressive tactics and constantly attacked Nagayama with a strong grip on his sleeve and back. Nagayama tried to counter with various techniques but Bliev’s superior stamina ultimately led to his victory. In the second minute of golden score, Bliev scored waza-ari with uchi-mata-sukashi securing his win and advancing in the competition.
The level of competition at this year’s World Championships remains high despite it coinciding with an Olympic year. Although Nagayama’s early exit serves as a reminder that living up to one’s ranking in a world championship is no easy task, fans can expect more surprises and upsets as the competition continues.
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