Preview +78kg Tashkent: Dicko and Tomita stand out

The top two prospects for gold in the +78kg division in Tashkent is Romane Dicko (FRA) and Wakaba Tomita (JPN). Dicko is the reigning European Champion, where she defeated another top competitor, Raz Hershko (ISR) in the final. Dicko has difficulty with Japanese players though. She lost to Akira Sone in the Mixed Teams event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The heavyweight category is led by French Romane Dicko. She is in the pool with Chinese Xu, you never know the outcome but Dicko has a wealth of experience now. Dicko and Tolofua are both on the same side but separated until the semi finals. The other side looks tougher with Hershko, top favourite Tomita, Souza and Ortiz, it’s gonna be quite a battle among 29 women.

Recently, Dicko lost to Sarah Asahina in the Oberwart World Cup. Both these players will not be in Tashkent. Instead, Wakaba Tomita is the Japanese representative in Tashkent.

Tomita will be the biggest hurdle for Dicko to overcome. She beat Dicko on home ground at the 2022 Paris Grand Slam. And, she is on a roll. After beating Dicko in Paris, she went on to defeat Idalys Ortiz, Cuba’s Olympic and double World Champion, in the Hungary Grand Slam.

Ortiz, who can be considered a legend in judo, is still a threat. But she is already 33 and is no longer at the peak of her prime. Other top prospects are Hershko, Beatrice Souza (BRA) and Rochele Nunes (POR) and French Julia Tolofua. An absolute dark horse is Shiyan Xu (CHN). The Chinese have a reputation when it comes to heavyweights women. There’s a pretty thick layer of women who can knock out some of the favourites. Compared to other years, that second layer has a good quality field.