European runner-up under 48kg, Catarina Costa, was knocked out on her debut at the Judo World Cups in Tashkent this Thursday after losing to Germany’s Katharina Menz in extra time by ‘waza-ari’ .
The Académica judoka, who had great aspirations for a good result in the capital of Uzbekistan, where Portugal is competing with eight athletes, was surprised by Menz, with whom she had already fought four times, with two wins for each.
Catarina Costa, who won silver at this year’s European Championships in Sofia, after finishing fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the referee panel still saw a waza-ariwhich would give her the win at the start of extra time, but shortly afterwards the German scored and pushed her away.
Portuguese judoka Rodrigo Lopes was also eliminated this Thursday in the first fight of the -60 kg category of the World Championships, in Tashkent, after losing to South Korean Harim Lee by ippon, six seconds before the end of the fight in Humo Arena.
Rodrigo Lopes was on a mission to kick off Portugal’s entry into the 35th World Cup, with the Benfica judoka, 28th in the -60kg world ranking, being exempted in the first round and only competing in the second round.
On his debut, Rodrigo Lopes was defeated by an opponent he had already lost to Ulan Bator’s Grand Slam this year, in a fight in which he was always at a disadvantage, first by a waza-ari and already in the last seconds ippon.
Source: DN
