Abe and Buchard on course for battle U52kg and Kocher on great form

Not Majlinda Kelmendi but Swiss Fabienne Kocher won her pool at the second day of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in the women’s division U52kg. The Swiss surprise is in a great shape. She won World bronze in June and now survived the shift in the prelimaries and qualified for the semi finals.

Hungarian Reka Pupp was the one who did the job to defeat Olympic Champion Majlinda Kelmendi from Kosovo. Kelmendi was one of the main favourites for a medal, but had a tough draw in Pupp, coached by former World Champion Akos Braun. Pupp also won her second round battle against Angela Delgado and met with Fabienne Kocher who smashed out Spanish world silver medallist Ana Perez Box in the first round. Kocher moved on defeated Lkhagvasuren (MGL) and overcame Pupp in the quarter final. Now Kocher will face Amandine Buchard of France who wasn’t a surprise to win her pool A. Russian outsider Natalia Kuziutina who won bronze in Rio lost against Park Da-Sol of Korea. Park lost to Buchard in the quarter.

Japanese title favourite Uta Abe qualified after victories against Larissa Pimenta of Brazil and British Chelsie Giles, no surprises in that pool. Abe will become the opponent of Italy’s Giuffrida, the 2016 Olympic silver medallist. That was an interesting pool. Giuffrida booked a victory over Andreea Chitu (ROU) and in the quarter final against 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Charline van Snick (U48kg) from Belgium. Van Snick won against Gili Cohen in the second round.

Buchard will now face Kocher and Abe vs Giuffrida.

Korean Park will Pupp for the repechage and Giles will battle with van Snick.