1999 World Judo Championships: Lightweights & Open | Birmingham
1h 45m
A packed National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, Great Britain, is the setting for the last World Championships before the millenium. Part 2 covers the last two days of scintillating action. Kenzo Nakamura (JPN) is the defending –73 Kgs World Champion but Jimmy Pedro (USA) is the man on form in the category. So who will emerge victorious? Isabel Fernandez (ESP) and Druilis Gonzalez (CUB) are on collision course in the –57 Kgs. Which of them will top the rostrum? At –66 Kgs Larbi Benboudaoud is France’s best chance of a gold medal at these Championships. Can he pull them up the medal table? Or can Marie-Claire Restoux (FRA) add to her –52 Kgs World and Olympic titles and withstand the experience of Legna Verdecia (CUB)? The Cubans are having a great championships. At –60 Kgs will Manuolo Poulot (CUB) be able to contain the skills if the diminutive Kazuhiko Tokuno (JPN)? And in the women’s Openweight Cuba’s Daiha Beltran aims to out fight Japan’s Miho Ninomiya. But the Japanese are on a roll, taking their best results for years and their superstar –48 Kgs fighter Ryoko Tamura is bidding for a fourth consecutive World title, whilst Shinichi Shinohara is setting out to complete the double of Heavy and Openweight categories. Can anyone stop them?