Japan urged to use failure to fire up Rio hopes

Japan's struggling judokas were urged on Saturday to accept their failure to win a men's Olympic gold medal in London and use it as a spark for recovery in time for the 2016 Games in Rio.

The Japanese men collected two silver and two bronze medals in London, failing to strike gold for the first time in 11 Games since their native sport was introduced at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

At the 2008 Beijing Games, they won only two medals, but both were gold.

"Zero gold", cried a headline in the daily Sports Nippon. "The first humiliation in men's judo history."

"Japan's day of reckoning arrived with the full force of a tidal wave," the Kyodo news agency said.

The Japanese women grabbed one gold, one silver and one bronze.

"In judo, only gold will do," Japan's chef de mission Haruki Uemura, president of the All-Japan Judo Federation, declared before their departure for London.

Judo has been the main source of Olympic titles for Japan.

From 1964 to 2008, Japan won 123 gold medals at Olympics -- 35 of them in judo.

But the daily Nikkan Sports commented: "It may be the time to lower the bar in judo."

It said that the pressure on judokas to lift gold for the country was "too much to bear mentally".

"They should instead rejoice that they have won as many as four men's medals. There is no need to tie themselves down by aiming for gold only," it said.

"What should be done in the first place is to realise their shortcomings."

Toshihiko Koga, Japan's 71kg champion at Barcelona 1992, said his country's medal haul in London was "realistic".

The levels of nearly 200 judo-practicing countries are rising, he said.

"Just a paper-thin difference separates gold, silver and bronze medallists."

The chef de mission admitted the failure was "serious".

"The levels of judo in countries around the world are even," Uemura told Japanese media. "You cannot win unless you give all you have."

Kazuo Yoshimura, director of technical development at the national federation, said his men "proved vulnerable when they fought closely."

"Our fighters depended too much on their coaches. We have failed to produce fighters who can make moves on their own," he said.

The Japanese men have been struggling to cope with the up-close-and-personal styles of their European and Asian counterparts, and consequently are being left behind on the international level, according to Kyodo's analysis.

Direct strikes of the legs and body clutches were ruled out of the competition in 2009, but the other countries have made adjustments accordingly to shut down the Japanese judokas' attacks, it said.

Fighters from Russia are prime examples as they claimed three golds, Kyodo said.

They immobilise opponents by grabbing them above the collar or hug them in close with their arm wrapped around the back, and use their power from short range.

Hiroaki Hiraoka got a heavy dose of this when he was sent sprawling to the mat in the 60-kg final by Russian Arsen Galstyan on the opening day.

"The orthodox Japanese judo style of maintaining one's distance and confronting opponents directly is a thing of the past," Kyodo said. "It is no longer the 'gentle way,' but a sport of might makes right." (AFP)

<관련 한글 기사>

日, “유도 사상 초유의 굴욕” 金목표 하향

유도 종목의 침몰에 큰 충격을 받은 일본이 런던 올림픽의 금메달 획득 목표치를 애초의 절반 수준인 9개 이상으로 하향 조정했다.

일본 신문들은 일제히 유도 경기에서의 “일본 남자 유도 사상 초유의 굴욕”이라며 실망감을 드러냈다.

일본의 런던올림픽 선수단장인 우에무라 하루키는 4일(현지시간) 런던에서 기자 회견을 열어 이번 대회 금메달 목표치를 실질적인 수준인 9개 이상으로 낮춰 잡았다 는 뜻을 밝혔다고 교도통신이 보도했다.

일본이 2008 베이징 대회 때 금메달 9개를 기록한 점을 감안하면 전 대회 수준으로 잡은 셈이다.

일본은 4일 현재 여자유도와 남자체조에서 각각 1개씩, 모두 2개의 금메달을 땄을 뿐이다.

우에무라 단장은 "대회 전반기에 우리는 유도와 체조, 수영 등 3개 종목에서 6~ 8개의 금메달을 딸 것으로 봤다"며 "(유도에서) 4~6개의 금메달을 생각했지만 1개에 그쳤다"고 설명했다.

전일유도연맹 회장인 우에무라가 유도 종목의 부진을 금메달 목표 차질의 주요 요인으로 꼽은 셈이다.

일본은 대회 전 15~18개의 금메달을 획득해 국별 금메달 순위에서 5위를 차지한 다는 목표를 잡은 바 있다.

유도는 일본이 종주국으로 전통적으로 일본의 금메달 밭이었다. 그러나 일본은 이번 런던 올림픽에서는 남자 유도에서 사상 처음으로 금메달 획득에 실패, 일본 국 민에게 큰 충격을 줬다.

유도는 1964년 도쿄 올림픽에서 정식 종목으로 채택됐다.