Why Uta Abe sobbed uncontrollably

The world was shocked twice in Diyora Keldiyorova vs Uta Abe second round match at the Olympics. First was the massive ippon throw that Keldiyorova pulled off with just one minute left in the match. Second was Abe's surprising reaction.

It's not unusual for players (male and female) to cry when they crash out of the Olympics. Many do. But Abe sobbed uncontrollably, to the point where she was literally shrieking and couldn't even stand up on her own at one point.

Her extreme reaction to the defeat shows two things. One is that winning a second Olympic gold meant everything to her. The other is that she was as bit over-confident and couldn't fathom a defeat.

It's understandable that she thought she would win. She had beaten Keldiyorova twice before, the most recent being the final of the 2023 World Championships where she very easily pinned Keldiyorova for ippon. This was no mean feat as Keldiyorova is a newaza specialist.

In Paris, Keldiyorova was down by a waza-ari and two shidos, with only one minute left in the match when disaster struck for Abe. Of course, Abe thought she would win. But it's also clear she did not even consider it a possibility that Keldiyorova could turn the tables on her.

You can be sure the next time they meet, Abe will be more wary of Keldiyorova, and if she is ahead in points and penalties, with only about a minute left in the match, Abe will be more cagey and fight more tactically.