Three male judoka who came into the Olympic flow

The Olympic level is always special, you need to get into the flow, as a favourite, but also as an outsider. The circumstances of COVID make it even harder but we have seen in history that the Olympic Games are special, not just because they are held each four/five years, but because the athletes need to grow into the tournament to reach that bit extra to overcome the favourites and stay at the expected level where everyone around the athlete desires that precious medal.

Yung Wei Yang of Chinese Taipeh shone at the first day of judo in the Nippon Budokan. The 23-year old Yung Wei Yang of Taipei was the sensation U60kg in Tokyo and claimed a silver medal. Yang was number 1 of the IJF World Ranking for juniors U60kg in 2017. He took various IJF World tour medals in Qingdao, Hohhot, Budapest and Tashkent. He took silver at the IJF Judo masters in Doha in 2021. He bagged a bronze medal at the Grand Slam in Antalya in 2021. You could see him coming, but … a man from Taipeh? He overcame his own strength and reached the ultimate Olympic level to reach the final where he could hold off Naohisa Takato for a long time, but not prevent the Japanese from taking the first gold medal for Japan.

Tsogtbaatar Tsend-Ochir was not directly expected by those sportsbetting website but CasinoGap sports betting had a number of good odds. The talented Mongolian judoka reached the podium with a splendid bronze medal. Tsend-Ochir finished with bronze but also fought the World Junior Championships final in 2014 and in 2015, which is always a good indication for the long term. He won a bronze medal at the World Cadet Championships in 2013. In 2015 he was in the final of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam with great judo. He finished fifth at the 2018 World Championships in Baku and reached the final at the prestigious Grand Slam in Paris in 2019. This year he won the Grand Slam in Tashkent in 2021. In Tokyo he won a pool with Akil Gjakova and gave Shohei Ono a great match the semi final. For bronze he defeated Arthur Margelidon with everything he had.

Who would have expected Eduard Trippel in the final U90kg? Maybe not even Trippel himself. He was ecstatic after reaching the final where he couldn’t resist Lasha Bekauri, Georgia’s super talent. Germany’s Eduard Trippel finished with silver at the 2020 Olympic Games and took bronze in the team event in Tokyo but didn’t even fight much as he was still so much over the moon. He took the bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Zagreb in 2017, another indication. For spotting talent these World Championships are definitely an indication. Coaches say, don’t watch the cadet worlds but the junior worlds. Trippel was a power in the German junior team and won bronze at the World Mixed Teams in 2017 in Zagreb as well. Eduard claimed a bronze medal at the Grand Prix in Tashkent and Grand Slam Osaka and Abu Dhabi. He took silver at the Grand Prix in Marrakech 2019 and Kazan in 2021. He took bronze at the IJF Judo masters in Doha in 2021 which was a second indication but now at senior level. In Tokyo he reached the ultimate level from the start as he overcame 2017 World Champion Nemanja Majdov. Then 2015 World Champion Dong-Han Gwak was the second victim. World medallist Krisztian Toth lost his semi final against Trippel. European Champion Micha Zgank got surprised by Trippel as well who had no limits on that special day 28 August that needed that mysterious Olympic flow.