Redemption arc is set in Paris 2024 for Kiyomi Watanabe, who was the country's flagbearer in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics alongside pole vaulter EJ Obiena.
Kiyomi Watanabe has joined the Olympic Games party.
The Filipina-Japanese judoka qualified for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, marking a return trip to the quadriennial event after clinching one of the two continental quotas reserved for Asia.
Watanabe, ranked 92nd in the world in the women’s -63kg category, is joined by China’s Tang Jing in securing the other Asia quota where the top 17 automatically qualify to the Olympic Games. Only one bet per country can make the cut per weight category and gender.
It will be the second Olympic stint for the 27-year-old Watanabe. She donned the national colors in Tokyo 2020, where she served as one of the Philippines’ flag bearers during the opening ceremony, alongside pole vaulter EJ Obiena.
Watanabe got caught by surprise with a sweep, bowing out right at the start of her event in Tokyo 2020. It was a loss against Spain’s Cristina Cabana Perez via an ippon in the Round of 32 of the women’s minus-63 kg event.
Before that, she gave the country its first silver medal in the Asian Games competition, falling short to Nami Nabekura of Japan in the -63kg Women's Judo final back in 2018.
Watanabe’s qualification also ensures that the country will have a judo representative for the fourth straight Olympics.
Kiyomi joined golfers Biana Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina as well as national swimmers Kayla Sanchez and Jarod Hatch as the latest Pinoy athletes to qualify for Paris 2024.
[ALSO READ: LIST: Filipino athletes qualified for the Olympic Games Paris 2024]
Story summary:
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Kiyomi Watanabe secures her place at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, earning one of Asia’s continental quotas in women’s -63kg judo.
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This marks Watanabe’s second Olympic appearance following her participation at Tokyo 2020, where she was a Philippine flag bearer. She was eliminated in the Round of 32.
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Her qualification extends the Philippines’ streak of having a judo representative at the Olympics to four consecutive Games.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]