Rio2016 Olympic Judo Preview women U70kg

After the Olympic title in London for Lucie Decosse a new are started with Kim Polling. The Dutch dominated this division, but wasn’t able to win the world titles. In fact Yuri Alvear was the most successful at World Championships in this Olympic cycle. But the amazing feeling and skills of Polling make her the favourite. She’s gone through the pain in three years and learned what it takes. At 10 August she can sign in gold for her reputation. Dealing with the pressure is the biggest challenge.

Triple European Champion Kim Polling is World leader since May 2013. She won various different Grand Slams. Was World and European Junior Champion in 2010. She won bronze at the World Championships in 2013. Polling won the IJF World Masters in 2014, 2015 and 2016. She took gold at the Grand Prix Tbilisi as well this year.

Yuri Alvear is the most amazing judoka from Colombia, the best ever in her country. She is triple world champion in 2011, 2013 and 2014 and won bronze in 2015. She won an Olympic bronze medal in 2012 in London and was seventh in Beijing. She won many Pan American Championships. Best athlete of Colombia.

French World Champion in judo Gevrise Emane claimed the world title in 2015 at the age of 33. Emane won Olympic bronze U63kg in 2012. She became World Champion at 2007, 2011 and 2015 and won bronze in 2013 in. Emane took the European title in 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012 and again 2016 in Kazan. Emane can become the oldest ever Olympic champion. In 2012 there were three Olympic Champions older than 30 years. Dae Nam-Song (KOR-33), Lucie Decosse (FRA-30) and Urska Zolnir (SLO-30).

Bernadette Graf is one of the best Austrian judoka of her generation. Competing U70kg and triple European bronze medallist 2013-2015. World and European Junior champion of 2011. She won various IJF events U70kg. She won the Grand Prix in Düsseldorf in 2016 getting back from an injury.

Laura Vargas Koch is one of the best judokas in the world U70kg. She captured World silver in 2013 and three times a European medal in the Kim Polling era. European U23 Championships in 2011 in Tyumen. She won gold at the Euro Open in Lisbon, silver at the Grand Slam of Paris and gold in Abu Dhabi.

Korean Kim Seong-Yeon won the Grand Slam of Paris in 2016 U70kg. She won the FISU Universiade in 2015. Kim won bronze at the World Championships in 2013 in Rio and win in Ulaanbaatar twice, Grand Prix Tashkent once and Asian Open in Taipei twice. World Junior bronze in 2010 in Agadir.

World vice Champion 2015 Maria Bernabeu developed well since 2015 with World silver in Astana and she won the Grand Prix in Budapest U70kg, her first IJF medal and Grand Slam in Baku in 2016. Bernabeu won bronze at the European U23 in 2010 and European junior bronze in 2006. Five Spanish titles.

Kelita Zupancic is one of the most successful female judoka for Canada. Zupancic competes U70kg and is coached by Nicolas Gill. Top 10 of the world and won various Pan American Championships. She won the Grand Slam Baku and Grand Prix Zagreb among other titles.

Outsiders

Linda Bolder won European titles in each kind of European Championship. Won the U17, U20 and U23 titles and took European silver in 2013. She won the Grand Slams of Paris & Tokyo. Bolder switched to Israel in 2015. Won the Grand Prix Samsun and Zagreb in 2015 and started with gold in Havana in 2016.

Haruka Tachimoto won the Grand Slam of Paris in 2015 and silver in 2016. She won the Junior world title in 2008 in Bangkok and 2009 in Paris. She won events in Tunis, Rotterdam, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, Paris and Tyumen. Tachimoto was seventh at the 2012 Olympic Games. She won the world team title in 2013.

Judoka Sally Conway won her silver medal at the World Junior Championships in 2006. Won more than 5 national titles. She also won various World Cups, her first in Birmingham at the age of 21 in 2008. The Scottish won gold at Grand Slam Baku in 2015 and Grand Prix Jeju. Grand Slam bronze in Paris in 2016.

Former World number two  U70kg Maria Portela from Brazil competed at World Championships and Olympic Games. She won the Grand Slam in Moscow in 2012, GP Abu Dhabi in 2012 and PanAm Open. She was PanAm Champion in 2012 and won various continental medals. In 2016 Portela won bronze in Havana U70kg and silver at GP Baku. She didn’t show yet to be in shape, but with the home crowd, Portela is exactly that character that can shine in Rio.

Katarzyna Klys - Pilocik won World Championships bronze in 2014 U70kg. The judo mother, married to Arthur Klys, won World Junior bronze ten years earlier. The same at European level, silver in 2004 Juniors and silver at Senior level in 2007 and 2012. European Silver and Bronze with the Polish team.

Maria Pérez of Puerto Rico won the PJC World Cup in Miami in 2010 and 2012 in Buenos Aires. She won various World Cup medals in her region. She won bronze at the PanAm Open in Lima in 2016 and PanAm Games. She won bronze at the Grand Slam in Baku in 2016 and Grand Prix Samsun and Budapest.

Elvismar Rodriguez won bronze at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in 2014 U78kg. She won bronze at the Grand Slam in Baku in 2016 and bronze at the Grand Prix in Samsun and PanAm Games, all in 6 weeks time. Trains at the IJF training centre in Hungary. She won the Grand Prix in Budapest in 2016.

Seeded athletes paired

Polling (Tachimoto) with Zupancic (Stam)

Graf (Portela) with Vargas Koch (Rodriguez)

Alvear (Matic/Perez) with Bernabeu (Klys)

Emane (Conway) with Kim (Bolder)

Former Olympic Champions

Stat

Kim Polling best leading in IJF Ranking. Polling didn’t succeed yet to win a World title, but at her Olympic debut Kim Polling is the athlete with the most number 1 rankings since 1 January 2013. Almost each week IJF released a new World Ranking and only 18 weeks she was not at place one, the first 10 weeks of 2013 she needed to take the leading spot at 27 May 2013. Polling is 106 weeks in the lead now. More than Tchrikishvili, Kelmendi, Riner, Ortiz and many others.