Judokas fall in Brazil
Navneet SinghPosted online: Thursday , September 27, 2007 at 12:00:00
Navneet SinghPosted online: Thursday , September 27, 2007 at 12:00:00
Updated: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 10:34:02
New Delhi, September 26 When the country’s top judokas boarded the flight on September 11 to take part in the world championships in Sao Paulo (September 12 to 16), there was one thing uppermost on their minds: Opportunity.
But none in the nine-member squad (that included four girls) went anywhere near it. Of the nine, only three could reach the second round.
All is not lost, though, says Judo Federation of India (JFI) secretary Mukesh Kumar. The players have gained lot of experience, he feels. “It will help them in future.
“To be realistic, we were not really expecting any medal from the global meet, but just hoping that one or two judokas will achieve Olympic qualification mark.”
As per norms, those finishing among the top six in their respective weight divisions get automatic qualification for the Olympics.
Of the nine, two were the federation’s big bets: Tombi Devi (48kg) in the women’s category and Navjot Channa (60kg) in the men’s section. They were in good form, and much was expected. But they faltered at the crucial moment. They faded away too early.
So far, Navjot and Tombi are the only two players to have earned points from the international competitions they participated. Tombi has 30 points and Navjot is yet to reach double figures (8).
Others judokas are down the ladder with maximum of two or three points.
After failing to make any impact in Brazil, the task of qualifying for Beijing has become bit more difficult. Besides three upcoming international competitions scheduled to be held in China, Korea and Japan, Asian judo championships in Korea in April next year, will provide Indian players an opportunity to achieve their goal. And to prepare, the JFI will send them for exposure trip that includes participation in the forthcoming Commonwealth Judo Championships.
For JFI the best chance is in the lower weight categories and the onus is on both Navjot and Tombi.
But none in the nine-member squad (that included four girls) went anywhere near it. Of the nine, only three could reach the second round.
All is not lost, though, says Judo Federation of India (JFI) secretary Mukesh Kumar. The players have gained lot of experience, he feels. “It will help them in future.
“To be realistic, we were not really expecting any medal from the global meet, but just hoping that one or two judokas will achieve Olympic qualification mark.”
As per norms, those finishing among the top six in their respective weight divisions get automatic qualification for the Olympics.
Of the nine, two were the federation’s big bets: Tombi Devi (48kg) in the women’s category and Navjot Channa (60kg) in the men’s section. They were in good form, and much was expected. But they faltered at the crucial moment. They faded away too early.
So far, Navjot and Tombi are the only two players to have earned points from the international competitions they participated. Tombi has 30 points and Navjot is yet to reach double figures (8).
Others judokas are down the ladder with maximum of two or three points.
After failing to make any impact in Brazil, the task of qualifying for Beijing has become bit more difficult. Besides three upcoming international competitions scheduled to be held in China, Korea and Japan, Asian judo championships in Korea in April next year, will provide Indian players an opportunity to achieve their goal. And to prepare, the JFI will send them for exposure trip that includes participation in the forthcoming Commonwealth Judo Championships.
For JFI the best chance is in the lower weight categories and the onus is on both Navjot and Tombi.
FONTE: Delhi Newsline - Delhi, India
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