Mixed Fortunes for Abe Siblings in Judo at Paris Olympics

Hifumi Abe secured his second Olympic judo gold medal by defeating Willian Lima of Brazil in the men's 66-kilogram final. After his victory, he looked directly at his sister, Uta Abe, who was crying in the stands. The Abe siblings had hoped to win gold medals on the same day for Japan, as they did in the Tokyo Olympics.

Uta Abe's Unexpected Loss

Uta Abe, a four-time world champion, faced an unexpected defeat in her second bout against Diyora Keldiyorova of Uzbekistan. This loss ended her five-year unbeaten streak. Despite leading 1-0, Uta was thrown with a tani otoshi for a spectacular ippon 3:04 into their match. "She executed a great technique," Uta told Japanese media later. "I was thrown without having an instant to react."

Uta's loss was only her second since 2016 and left her disconsolate for hours. She struggled to leave the tatami and wept in her coach's arms for at least three minutes, delaying the next match in the women's 52-kilogram category. Her sobbing could be heard from dozens of yards outside the tent where she was gathering herself.

Hifumi Abe's Determination

Despite his sister's loss, Hifumi Abe remained focused. His first match ended in 59 seconds with a vicious ippon against Bence Pongracz of Hungary. He fought through a bloody nose to reach the semifinals with another ippon victory over Nurali Emomali of Tajikistan, who injured his left arm while attempting to break his fall.

In the semifinals, Hifumi faced top-ranked Denis Vieru of Moldova and won with a brilliant harai goshi hip sweep 9 seconds into golden score. In the final, he gradually broke down Lima, scoring a waza ari with 2:12 left before ending it with an impressive throw with 1:24 remaining.

Japan's Judo Team Performance

Japan's judo team won nine gold medals and 12 total medals at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. However, winning two gold medals from four events so far in Paris is considered a rocky start for this dominant team. Natsumi Tsunoda won gold on Saturday in the women's 48-kilogram category, but Ryuju Nagayama settled for bronze in men's 60-kilogram after a controversial loss to Francisco Garrigos of Spain.

Tsunoda was the last person to beat Uta Abe by ippon before Sunday, doing so in the final of the Tokyo Grand Slam in 2016 with an arm lock on the then-16-year-old prodigy.

Keldiyorova's Remarkable Run

Diyora Keldiyorova completed one of the most challenging gold-medal runs in Olympic judo history by defeating France's Amandine Buchard and Kosovo's Distria Krasniqi in the final. "She gave me a tough fight, and I know she is a champion," Keldiyorova said through an interpreter. "I just had to fight and try to win, but I respect her so much."

The Abe siblings' Olympic journey isn't over yet; both expressed their desire to compete until the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Tadahiro Nomura is currently the only three-time individual Olympic judo gold medalist. "I'll try my best to become even stronger at judo," Hifumi Abe said.

"My sister lost today, so it was a really hard day for me," Hifumi Abe said through an interpreter. "But I had the feeling all day that I had to work hard for my sister." He added that it was difficult and painful but kept his emotions in check and felt he had no choice but to do his best as the older brother.

The Abe siblings are huge celebrities in Japan and in the judo world with their photogenic smiles and uncommonly demonstrative personalities. However, Uta's loss was devastating to both the family and its millions of fans.