Miku Tashiro takes biggest prize winning IJF Masters

Just in advance of the World Masters in Rabat World Champion Clarisse Agbegnenou cancelled her participation due to a foot injury, nonetheless a strong field U63kg with 2013 World Champion as favourite, but with Olympic Champion Matsumoto in the field anything could happen, and it happened like no one could predict. Miku Tashiro became the winner, finally a big prize for the Japanese.

In the absence of the world number one, Clarisse Agbegnenou (FRA), Yarden Gerbi had a good opportunity to reach the final and win some important points, but she was defeated in the semi-final by TASHIRO Miku (JPN), who was opposed to Austrian Kathrin Unterwurzacher. The Austrian defeated Anne-Laure Bellard. in the second semi-final. After one minute, Tashiro scored a first yuko with a o-uchi-gari. Stronger than her opponent, the Japanese waited until last ten seconds to finally immobilise Unterwurzacher for ippon, offering the last gold medal of the day to Japan.

The first bronze medal fight opposed Edwige Gwend (ITA) and Anne-Laure Bellard. After two minutes, Gwend was already penalised with two shidos for passivity, incapable of blocking the long attacks of the French. Before the end of the fight, both athletes received a penalty, which did not change the final results, the bronze medal going back to Anne-Laure Bellard.

In the second bronze medal contest, Martyna Trajdos was opposed to Yarden Gerbi/ A first shido was given to both athletes for blocking the opponent, then Gerbi was penalised again and suddenly looked terribly exhausted and not in the position to put Trajdos in danger. It is actually the contrary which happened, the German scoring a waza-ari followed by an immobilisation for ippon.