Japanese fencer Misaki Emura was upset in the second round of the women's individual sabre competition on Monday, July 29 when the Olympic gold-medal favorite was eliminated from title contention by South Korean Sebin Choi.
Emura, the 2022 and 2023 world champion, was expected to challenge for a podium finish, but the 16th-seeded Choi dominated the matchup to win 15-7.
Choi took the momentum early in the bout, extending a 2-2 tie in the first period to an 8-4 lead at the start of the second before stretching her advantage to eight hits by the end of the encounter.
"I wanted to give a good performance for the people who supported me, but my fencing was not at all like usual," No 2 seed Emura said, according to Kyodo News.
"All my weaknesses and bad habits came out. I couldn't control them," said Emura, one of the Japan delegation's flag bearers at the opening ceremony on July 26.
Emura suffered a thigh injury ahead of the games. She has one more chance for a medal as part of Japan's sabre team that competes on Saturday, August 3.
Emura's father Koji competed in men's foil at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
In her Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo, Emura finished 13th in the individual event and fifth in the team event.
Equestrian
Japan Ends 92-Year Equestrian Medal Drought
For the first time since the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games, Japan equestrian team athletes will return home with Olympic medals.
On Monday, July 29, at the Chateau de Versailles in Paris, Japan's four riders and four horses teamed up in the eventing team jumping final and earned the bronze medal with 115.80 penalty points.
Great Britain won the gold with 91.30 penalty points, followed by France with 103.60.
For Japan, Kazuma Tomoto (aboard Vinci de la Vigne), Yoshiaki Oiwa (MGH Grafton Street), Ryuzo Kitajima (Cekatinka) and Toshiyuki Tanaka (Jefferson) ended the medal drought with solid results across the board.
It was a thrilling outcome for Oiwa and his teammates.
"I still can't believe it," Oiwa was quoted as saying by Kyodo News, "[and] "I feel like I've finally made it."
The bronze medalist added in praise of MGH Grafton Street, "He's not a horse that's particularly good at hurdles. I think he did a great job."
This Olympic three-day competition also involved dressage and cross country stages in Versailles.
Takeichi Nishi with his horse Uranus won the individual show jumping gold medal at the 1932 Games.
Judo
Hashimoto, Funakubo Earn Bronze Medals
Japan added two more medals in the judo competition on Monday.
In the men's judo 73-kilogram class, Soichi Hashimoto took home a bronze medal, defeating Akil Gjakova of Kosovo. Hashimoto scored a decisive waza-ari using a seoi-nage shoulder throw.
"There were so many people who came out to cheer for me today, so I knew I couldn't go home empty-handed," Hashimoto said, according to Kyodo News. "I did my best to the end so I have no regrets in my judo career.
He added, "I wasn't able to reach the gold medal but this was a memorable competition."
The 32-year-old is the oldest first-time Olympian in the history of Japan's judo team.
Also Monday, first-time Olympian Haruka Funakubo won bronze in the women's 57-kilogram class.
Known for her stamina on the mats, the 25-year-old Funakubo was able to overwhelm Brazilian Rafaela Silva in extra time to claim the bronze.
"I really wanted to bring a medal home no matter what,” Funakubo told Kyodo News.
She added, "I had to have the patience to fight till the end. [And] I want to use this experience as a springboard for my next tournament.”
Through Monday, Japan had two gold medals and three bronze in judo.
Swimming
Teen Narita Places 6th in Women's 400 IM in Olympic Debut
Mio Narita finished sixth in the women's 400-meter individual medley final on Monday at the Olympic Aquatics Centre.
The 17-year-old from Tokyo completed the race in 4 minutes, 38.83 seconds.
Canada's Summer McIntosh triumphed in 4:27.71.
After the race, the Japanese teenager spoke about the experience with reporters.
"My goal was to swim my personal best and compete for a medal, but I didn't do well in my race," Narita told NHK. "Before the swim, I could feel the atmosphere of the venue, thinking, 'This is the Olympics,' but I couldn't race well with the competitors around me."
Despite expressing disappointment in finishing sixth, Narita believes it was a helpful experience.
"I don't think this experience will be a waste," commented Narita before adding, "I saw [Tomoyuki] Matsushita swim for the silver medal [in the men's 400 IM], and I really wanted to be a medal contender. So I am disappointed that I was not able to do so, [but] I hope to carry this feeling on to the next race."
Olympic Medal Table
As of Tuesday 11 PM JST (or 4 PM Paris time), Japan had a total of 12 medals, including six gold, tied for the lead in first-place medals. China was the only other nation with six gold medals at that time.
Team Japan has already earned Olympics medals in six different sports: artistic gymnastics, equestrian, fencing, judo, skateboarding and swimming.
Check out the updated medal table on the Paris Games official website.
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Authors: Jim Armstrong and Ed Odeven
