At the Abu Dhabi World Championships 2024, Ryuju Nagayama is the only Japanese athlete competing who will also represent his country at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. Nagayama is a 28-year-old individual neutral athlete with two world bronze medals under his belt and was considered a strong contender for the gold in the -60kg category.
Despite facing tough competition from Ayub Bliev of AIN, Nagayama was determined to secure his first senior world title and step out of the shadow of his teammate, Naohisa Takato, a four-time world champion. However, Nagayama faced a tough challenge in his opening match against Bliev.
Blevi, a 26-year-old individual neutral athlete, had previously won three grand slam medals in the past seven months, including gold in Antalya. Despite defeating Bliev in a previous match, Nagayama was unable to replicate his success in Abu Dhabi.
Blevi utilized aggressive tactics, constantly attacking Nagayama with a strong grip on his sleeve and back. Nagayama tried to counter with various techniques but Bliev’s superior stamina ultimately led to his victory. In the second minute of golden score, Blevi scored waza-ari with uchi-mata-sukashi securing his win and advancing him further into the competition.
Although this marks an early exit for Nagayama from the tournament, it serves as a reminder that living up to one’s ranking in a world championship is no easy task. The level of competition in Abu Dhabi remains high and fans can expect more surprises and upsets as the tournament progresses.
In conclusion, Ryuju Nagayama’s defeat serves as an important reminder that despite being one of Japan’s top athletes representing them on an international stage he still faced tough challenges and came out short of achieving his goal for now but it will only motivate him more for future competitions
