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Olympic Outlook: Will Chinese Women Judo Reach New Heights?
The Chinese women's judo team, which has won an Olympic gold twice before, have set the goal of "attacking all sides, reaching new heights."
This goal has two meanings. First, the Chinese team will enter all seven events of the Olympics and try their best in every event. Thus, is the meaning of "attacking all sides." Second, the Chinese team won only one gold in the last two Olympics. They will strive to win more golds or medals than the previous Olympics. Thus, "reaching new heights."
Since the event the Chinese team was strongest in was cancelled for this Olympics, China's hopes of winning a gold has focused on the weight class above seventy-eight kilograms. In this event, the Chinese team has the gold medalist from the Atlanta Games, Sun Fuming, and another veteran Yuan Hua. Because every team is only allowed to send one athlete per event, China hasn't decided who it will send. Considering their conditions, Yuan Hua has a better chance to go to the Olympics. Since Sun Fuming won the gold in the last Olympics, her training has been affected. Plus, her injuries have weakened her. Yuan Hua has been in good condition in recent years. Although she lost the championships twice because of tactical errors in the World Judo Championships, she won the gold three times in the Japan Fukuoka World A Class Competitions, which are at about the same level as the World Judo Championships. She also won the gold in the France World A Class Competition this February.
Although Yuan Hua is shorter than the Germans, Cubans and Polish, she is very fast. She can defeat stronger opponents with her skill. But her biggest problem is too anxious win, her opponents opportunities. If she can use her strengths to plan her tactics, she will have a better chance of winning. She was very confident about winning the gold in her interview with the China News Agency.
If the Chinese can win the gold in this weight class, they will have a good shot at winning a gold in two other weight classes.
The first one is the sixty-three kilogram weight class. Wang Xianbo, who won the bronze medal in the last Olympics, is famous for her precise motions. She is good at beating her the opponent by a large margin. She won the gold of the World A Class Competitions twice in Italy and Holland this year. She had defeated the famous Japanese veteran Makimura and won the gold in the Asian Sports Game 1998. But the champion of last year's World Judo Championship, was badly hurt and probably will not participate in this Olympics. This gives Wang Xianbo a greater chance to win the gold. But she will face the big challenge of Makimura and another S. Korean veteran.
The second is the forty-eight kilograms weight class. The Chinese athletes have the chance to win the gold because the Japanese veteran who was first in this class before is not as strong as before. The Chinese player Zhao Shuixin won the gold of the World A Class Competition in Germany this year. But it is difficult to say who will win the gold because Japan, Cuba, France, Korea, Spanish, are all at the same level as the Chinese team.
Aside from these two classes, China has a chance to place in the top three in the fifty-two kilograms weight class, fifty-seven kilograms class and the seventy-eight kilograms and below class.
In past Olympics, the Chinese women's judo team always aimed at the heavier weight classes. The goal of "attacking on all sides" relies on the progresses in the medium and lightweight classes.
First, the Chinese team won the gold in the World Judo Championships before the Atlanta Games, but didn't win the gold in the World Judo Championship after 1996 Olympics. Liu Yuqi, head coach of the team, said, although the competitive strength has improved greatly in recent years, there are no outstanding athletes like before. So we can't say we have the ability to defend the gold in any of the weight classes. We must strive for the gold.
Next, some minor man-made factors have always affect the Olympic judo matches. For example, rarely do countries win all the golds unless the team has an absolute advantage. Once an athlete loses a gold that he or she should win, it will likely affect other countries' athletes.
Additionally, the order of competition will be changed in this Olympics. The lightweight class will compete before the heavyweight class run. If the Chinese team loses in the medium and lightweight classes, it will put pressure on the heavyweight classes, as China's last hope.
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