WHILE Filipino-Japanese judoka Kiyomi Watanabe is poised to get a grip on an Olympic ticket, judo chief Dave Carter is hoping she performs well in the World Judo Championships from June 6 to 13 in Budapest, Hungary to pave the way for another local bet to qualify for the Tokyo Games in July.
“Kiyomi is qualified based on the International Judo Federation Olympic qualifying process through the Asian continental quota. She cannot be dislodged from that position,” Carter said. “But we have to await the IJF to make the formal announcement sometime in the third or fourth week of June.”
A four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, Watanabe, 24, is ranked No. 38 in the women’s 63-kilogram division of the IJF Olympic qualifying rankings.
The top 18 entries in each weight class in the men’s and women’s divisions at the end of the cut-off date of June 28 will advance outright to the Tokyo Olympics.
Carter, the Judo Union of Asia sports director, explained that since only one athlete per country is allowed in the top 18 “then Kiyomi can rise further in the standings since Japan is assured of one slot as the host while I believe South Korea and Mongolia have also qualified through the rankings in Asia.
“This is why Kiyomi is now No. 1 in the Asian continental quota.”
Carter said that should Watanabe win at least one or two bouts at the World meet “she will rise further in the Olympic qualifying ratings, opening the way for siblings Shugen and Keisei Nakano to qualify by getting the continental quota slot assigned to Kiyomi.”
Shugen bagged the gold medal in the men’s 66-kg division of the 30th SEA Games while Keisei won a bronze medal in the men’s 73-kg class.
Keisei, who placed seventh in the Asia-Oceania judo championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan last month, is ranked No. 74 in the Olympic rankings while his brother is further down at No. 109.
Watanabe also did well in the Asia-Oceania competition, winding up fifth overall in her weight class.
“If all three judokas perform strongly and earn victories in Hungary, there is really a good chance that we will have another Olympic-bound judoka besides Watanabe,” Carter said.
