Watanabe vies vs elite field in world judo masters
Kiyomi Watanabe in file photo. JUN MENDOZA
MANILA, Philippines — Fil-Japanese Olympics aspirant Kiyomi Watanabe will pit skills with elite judokas in the prestigious International Judo Federation (IJF) World Masters, an invite-only competition set this weekend in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Philippine Judo Federation (PJF) president Dave Carter said three-time Southeast Asian Games champ Watanabe has earned a spot in the women’s 63 kg division of the tourney, where the best judokas fight it out for major ranking points ahead of next year’s Olympic Qualification process.
“It’s a by-invitation-only tournament,” Carter said, adding only the Top 16 players in the world are eligible to compete per division but the No. 22 Watanabe made it to the roster due to injuries to or withdrawals by higher-ranked judokas.
“It’s a good opportunity for her to try to get as high ranking as possible and prepare for her shot at the Olympics,” he added.
The Philippine Sports Commission extended full support for Watanabe’s stint at the World Masters, the last event in the IJF World Judo Tour.
“She can earn as much as 200 ranking points just by participating here and we want her to maintain a high ranking,” said PSC commissioner Mon Fernandez.
The 21-year-old Watanabe has been tagged by the PSC as a bright prospect not only for the 2020 Olympics, but also for 2024.
The Cebuana has shown she can compete against the world’s best in major international events, placing second in the Oberwart European Open and winning the Taipei Asia Open this year.
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