The Keys of the Grand Slam of Tokyo Were Drawn

On Thursday, 12/4, the keys of the Grand Slam of Tokyo were drawn. This competition is the last one of the international calendar. Brazil will be represented by 11 athletes.On the first day, Sarah Menezes (48kg), Erika Miranda (52kg), Rafaela Silva (57kg), Felipe Kitadai (60kg), Eric Takabatake (60kg) and Charles Chibana (66kg) will fight. The complete key can be seen in the attached file.

Last year, Brazil won four medals in the competition. Erika Miranda (52kg), Charles Chibana (66kg) and Rafael Silva (+ 100kg) got the silver and Sarah Menezes (48kg) was bronze awarded. The technical committee will be formed by Ney Wilson, Head of Delegation; Amadeu Moura, Performance Manager; the coaches Luiz Shinohara, Rosicleia Campos and Yuko Fujii; the physiotherapist Gláucio Paredes; the massage therapist Hans Peter Stubreiter, the strategist Leonardo Mataruna and the nutritionist Gisele Lemos.

IJF’s Analysis on the categories in which Brazil will be represented on the first day of the Grand Slam of Tokyo.

In the extra-light category, Sarah Menezes, the current Olympic champion, and Ami Kondo, the current senior world champion as well as junior one, go in as favorites. But there will be other important names fighting such as the Argentinian Paula Pareto, vice-world champion in Chelyabinsk, and the Mongol Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh, silver-awarded in the Grand Slams of Moscow and Baku.

Concerning the male athletes, the International Judo Federation mentioned the current world champion and number one world ranking, Boldbaatar Ganbat (MGL) as the favorite to the title. Among those who can hinder him reaching the podium are Amartuvshin Dashdavaa (MGL), Orkhan Safarov (AZE), Kim Won-Jin (KOR) and Felipe Kitadai.

In the half-lightweight category, the vice-champion of the world ranking and the world vice-champion in 2014, the Romanian Andreea Chitu, is the strongest candidate for the title in Tokyo. However, Erika Miranda, bronze-awarded in Chelyabinsk, the German Marren Kraeh, bronze winner in the World Judo Championship 2013 as well as the Israeli Gili Cohen, sixth in the world rankings, are also candidates for the podium.

In the male, the current world champion Masashi Ebinuma fighting at home is the favorite. But in a competition fought by the first six placed athletes in the world ranking, the Japanese will not have an easy way. Among those who deter him getting the title are Charles Chibana, the Russian Mikhail Pulyaev and the Mongolian Tumurkhuleg Davaadorj.

In the lightweight category, eight of the ten the best placed female athletes in the world ranking will be competing against each other, which means that this category will be among the toughest ones. Rafaela Silva, world champion in 2013; the Portuguese Telma Monteiro, world vice-champion in 2014; the German Miryam Roper, third in the world rankings, and the Austrian Sabrina Filzmoser are among the favorites. However, if the home factor can help, the Japanese competitors Nae Udaka and Kaori Matsumoto, current Olympic champion, are expected to fight for the title.