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For some, the first Olympic Games are a beneficial and foundational experience for the rest of their career.
But for others, learning must come through a podium.
Or even an Olympic title.
At 27, Madeleine Malonga was undoubtedly part of the second category, the one who came to Tokyo to win, not to learn.
A quest for gold that the French dreamed of carrying out in the most beautiful setting possible, the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, she who already had a world title (2019) and two Europeans (2018 and 2020).
Against, what is more, a Japanese in the final, Shori Hamada, slayer in the semifinals of the German Anna-Maria Wagner, the same one who had recently beaten her in the final of the last Worlds ...
Madeleine Malonga ANNEGRET HILSE / REUTERS
To read also: JO: the moving sequence of Madeleine Malonga in tears and "really disappointed" after her lost final
Surprise in the final and unable to find a solution against the Japanese
There would therefore be no revenge for the French, but a new confrontation with the Japanese, whom she had already beaten four times in six confrontations.
The psychological ascendancy was therefore in his favor, especially since one of his successes had as part of his world final in 2019 here in Tokyo.
At the time, Malonga said: “
Winning in Japan was close to my heart.
I hope that in a year, in the same place, it will also be gold
. " In the end, it took him two years to find Hamada at the Budokan. Unfortunately, the outcome of the fight will have been different. Impressive on the ground, the Japanese managed to find the opening to immobilize the Frenchwoman. Even if she was warned of the danger, she could not do anything and must be satisfied with this beautiful silver medal, even if she hoped for better ...
A satisfaction all the more that in the quarter-finals, the Frenchwoman had come close to the worst. Opposed to the Cuban Kaliema Antomarchi, whom she had previously beaten three times in three fights, the judokate of Blanc-Mesnil seemed well on the way to an easy qualification with a waza-ari in advance. But perhaps too confident and, therefore, less focused, Malonga lost track, saw her opponent equalize and push her into a suddenly uncertain golden score. An extra time that the Cuban dominated, before being surprised and losing to an ippon full of opportunism from the world number 1. Who had perhaps just had the ideal booster shot for the future, as demonstrated by her semi-final, perfectly mastered against the South Korean Hyunji Yoon. Alas, the final,she was going to escape him ...
Olympic Games: all the French medalists in pictures
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