Chapter 419: Judo Team Event

Chapter 419: Judo Team Competition

Meng Fan was one of the most closely watched athletes of the Chinese delegation at these Olympics, his popularity even surpassing that of many long-established Olympic champions.

The judo final drew particular attention, as Meng Fan himself said it was his first time standing on an Olympic final stage, with countless people awaiting his claim to the Olympic champion honor.

His starting point was too high; winning the International Judo Federation Masters title in his very first judo competition, from then on, he easily defeated every opponent, and in everyone’s eyes, Meng Fan was the invincible presence in this event, with even Teddy Riner unable to stop him before—so who could possibly beat him?

When Meng Fan said the audience was getting carried away, it was no exaggeration; there was no reason not to be.

Meng Fan was so strong that many were convinced he would win the gold, with a certainty no less than that of the table tennis champion.

Just how strong was Meng Fan?

It was a mystery, its unpredictability no less than the enigma of how strong table tennis’s third-generation “Great Demon King” Zhang Yining was when she retired.

This easy victory only deepened the mystery.

The final ended in just three seconds!

This was absolutely the fastest recorded finish in judo history; even the most lopsided Olympic final had never been like this.

After this final, once Meng Fan had won his first Olympic gold, domestic media rushed to report, while Weibo saw several trending topics related to Meng Fan, such as #MengFanWinsGold#, #DidMengFanWinToday#, and #WeGotCarriedAway#.

On Weibo, as always, whenever a trending topic related to Meng Fan appeared, the tone tended to go off track.

Foreign media also covered Meng Fan’s victory extensively; interestingly, the proportion of coverage about the win itself was not high, with the highest proportion being about Meng Fan defeating Teddy Riner and his interview comments.

Teddy Riner’s fame was immense, extending beyond judo; he was a superstar athlete in France with numerous top endorsements, also a celebrity athlete in Europe, frequently appearing in entertainment and fashion news, and often interacting and collaborating with other famous athletes.

In Europe, Teddy Riner was mythologized as a combat athlete, much like how Chinese domestic audiences endlessly hyped up Meng Fan.

Meng Fan’s effortless victory over Teddy Riner left European media heartbroken and shocked; before this, the media had some knowledge of an Eastern combat powerhouse, but the public knew little, and learning that their myth Teddy Riner had been defeated like this was almost unbelievable, with many speculating whether Riner was still recovering from injury, or even questioning the match.

Of course, most media and the public were rational enough not to question the match, but they couldn’t help trying to save face—wishing that a peak-form Teddy Riner could fight Meng Fan; in their view, Riner was old, his physical abilities declining, and in competitive sports, there always comes a day to lose.

Was that really the case?

Those in the industry knew best.

The current Teddy Riner, even if not at his peak, was not far from it; his competitive state after returning from injury was very good, as could be seen from his previous matches.

Who was stronger, peak Teddy Riner or current Meng Fan?

The answer was obvious.

In fact, by comparing opponents they had both defeated—how Teddy Riner beat them and how Meng Fan beat the same opponents—the result became clear.

As for what Meng Fan said in the interview, foreign media had mixed reviews, which was somewhat related to the specific circumstances of each country; some countries were more modest and reserved, naturally disliking it, finding Meng Fan too arrogant—though he spoke the truth—while more exuberant countries reported it objectively, and those with a strong penchant for novelty and individual heroism praised him, with many domestic youths directly idolizing Meng Fan.

Turning back to the leaders of the Weightlifting, Wrestling, and Judo Center, especially the Judo Department, both the delegation members in Kyoto and the officials back home were celebrating wildly.

Winning two gold medals in one day was something the judo program had never dared to imagine before.

Amid the revelry, Directors Zhou and Xiong also breathed a long sigh of relief, because the judo team had exceeded its task for these Olympics, and because Meng Fan’s gold medal had met their minimum expectations.

Meng Fan, as a single athlete competing in weightlifting, wrestling, and judo, along with Directors Zhou and Xiong and others, endured great pressure while receiving praise, since Meng Fan occupied three national team spots; if it had been all thunder and no rain, with no medals at these Olympics, the awkwardness would be imaginable.

One more thing: Meng Fan also broke a “record”—that of the Chinese opening ceremony flag bearer failing to win a gold medal at that Olympics—becoming the first opening ceremony flag bearer in history to win a gold medal at the same Games.

The outside world was celebrating, but for Meng Fan, after a brief celebration, he was led to join the other team members for weigh-in, preparing for the mixed team competition to be held the next day.

The mixed team competition was a new event added to these Tokyo Olympics and also the last judo event of these Games.

After weigh-in came the draw; this Olympic judo mixed team competition had only sixteen national teams participating, including four from Asia, four from Europe, four from the Americas, one from Africa, one from Oceania, one invited by the IOC, plus the host nation Japan.

The draw divided teams into Groups A and B, competing simultaneously.

The first round was the 1/8 elimination, with losers directly exiting; the second round was the quarterfinals, with winners advancing to the semifinal (i.e., 1/2 final) and losers entering the repechage; the third round was the semifinals, with winners advancing to the final for the gold, and losers competing in the bronze medal match against the repechage winner from the other group.

After the draw, Xiao Yunlin received the results: the Chinese team was placed in Group B, with their first-round opponent being the United States team. Also in this group were France, South Korea, Georgia, Russia, and other national teams; in terms of team strength, this half truly seemed like a group of death.

Aside from the current Chinese team, France, South Korea, Georgia (the IOC-invited team), Russia, and the United States were all quite strong. France, needless to say, was the only team that had previously threatened Japan’s judo dominance; the United States had developed rapidly in judo in recent years; Russia could handle various combat sports; and even the invited team Georgia was not to be underestimated.

“Let’s all speak up.”

After the draw, Xiao Yunlin led the team members back to their pre-competition meeting room at the Olympics.

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(The chapter ends)