Kiyomi starts redemption bid

Gaining redemption will be Kiyomi Watanabe’s ultimate mission when she plunges into action in the women’s -63-kilogram event of the Paris Olympics on Tuesday at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris.

The 27-year-old Watanabe will open her Olympic campaign against dangerous Tang Jing of China in the 11th match of the Round of 32 that will start at 10 p.m. (Manila time).

Tang will not be an easy foe.

The 29-year-old judoka is a seasoned international campaigner who emerged with the silver medal in the 19th Asian Games and plucked the gold medal in the Judo Oceania Open Perth last year. Like Watanabe, Tang also made it to the Olympics after earning an Asian quota.

Philippine Judo Federation secretary general Dave Carter said Watanabe is prepared and ready to win in her second Olympic stint.

In fact, she has been in the Athletes Village as early as last week, tagging along her Japanese sparring partner in Chiri Nozawa to make sure that she will not skip a beat in her training and preparation.

But what made Watanabe dangerous is the fact that she is looking to bounce back from a forgettable performance in the previous Olympics ion Tokyo three the previous Olympics ion Tokyo three years ago in which she lost to Cristina Cabana Perez of Spain in the Round of 32 in just 38 seconds.

She didn’t have the chance to redeem herself in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia after her weight category was scrapped. Then, she lost to Miku Takaichi of Japan in the Round of 16 of the Asian Games.

Carter said as a sign of dedication and seriousness to avenge her past heartbreaks, Watanabe didn’t join other Filipino delegates in the training camp in Metz. Instead, she stayed in Japan to sharpen her skills against quality Japanese judokas at the Waseda University.

Carter said the action that awaits Watanabe in the Olympics is no joke, but she will definitely go all out to make her country proud.