Izumi, Decosse Shine at World Judo Championship

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Datum: 11. 09. 2005

Japan's Hiroshi Izumi (l) and Greece's Ilias Iliadis compete in the 90kg class gold medal bout at the World Judo Championships in Cairo, Friday. (Reuters Photo)

CAIRO, Egypt,
Sept. 10--Hiroshi Izumi of Japan made up for his Olympic disappointment by claiming the world under-90kg title with a victory over Ilias Iliadis of Greece on Friday, Reuters said.
France’s Lucie Decosse also turned the tables on an Olympic champion on the second day of the world championships, beating Ayumi Tanimoto of Japan to win the women’s under-63kg division .

Japan's Hiroshi Izumi (l) and Greece's Ilias Iliadis compete in the 90kg class gold medal bout at the World Judo Championships in Cairo, Friday. (Reuters Photo)

It was a great day for the Netherlands as Edith Bosch won the women’s under-70kg category and Guillaume Elmont triumphed in the men’s under-81kg.
Izumi reached the final in Athens last August but was defeated by Georgia’s Zurab Zviadauri with a stunning counter throw.
Iliadis, a Georgian who defected to Greece three years ago, is Zviadauri’s cousin and became the Olympic under-81kg champion in his adopted country last year.
He stepped up a weight this year and won the prestigious Tournoi de Paris in February but Izumi proved the better fighter in Cairo on Friday.
Iliadis took the fight to the Japanese, trying to pick him up with a leg-grab technique. But as he did so, he was countered backwards with an inner thigh sweep, ouchi-gari.
Iliadis’ coach was furious, believing his fighter had twisted enough to avoid the maximum ippon, or technical knockout score, given when a player is thrown flat on his back.
Tanimoto, meanwhile, looked set to add the world title to her Olympic crown from last year as she stormed into the final but came unstuck against Decosse.
The Frenchwoman has flattered to deceive since winning the world junior title in 2000 but she was a picture of calm authority in despatching Tanimoto with a running leg-grab, or kochiki-taioshi, for ippon.
Taking hold of Tanimoto’s leg and lapel, she drove her backwards before flipping her onto her back and somersaulting over the stricken body to complete the throw.
Bosch claimed her first world title with a hard fought victory over France’s surprise finalist Gevriese Emane.
The under-70kg category was thrown wide open in the first round when Olympic and double world champion Masae Ueno of Japan was eliminated by Slovenian Rasa Sraka, who was herself beaten by Emane in the semis.
Elmont, who does not even have a European championships medal to his name, defeated surprise finalist Abderaman Benamadi of Algeria with a dropping shoulder throw, seoi-nage, for the second Dutch gold of the day.