PARIS (TVBS News) — The Olympic Games Paris 2024 judo event saw the draw held on Thursday (July 25), where Taiwan's "Judo Heartthrob" Yang Yung-wei (楊勇緯) received a bye in the first round. Yang will face either Joshua Katz of Australia or Andrea Carlino of Italy in the round of 16.
Yang's coach, Liu Wen-teng (劉文等), anticipates the first real challenge will come in the quarterfinals, likely against Kazakhstan's Yeldos Smetov. In the semifinals, Yang may face either Francisco Garrigos of Spain or Japan's Ryuju Nagayama, both formidable opponents.
Yang has yet to face Garrigos, the 2023 World Judo Championships gold medalist and has not secured a victory against Nagayama. Fans eagerly await Yang's performance, hoping for a historic win.
Liu stressed the importance of not underestimating any competitor, noting that the team has already done a complete intelligence gathering of each opponent. Now, the most important thing is Yang's performance on the mat.
In other matches, Taiwan's Lin Chen-hao (林真豪) in the women's 48 kg category will compete against Colombia's Erika Lasso in the first round. Meanwhile, Lien Chen-ling (連珍羚) in the women's 57 kg category will face Mariama Koroma of Sierra Leone.
