Kiyomi Watanabe falls to Chinese foe via ippon, absorbs early Paris Olympic exit

Another heartbreaker for the Philippines' judoka ace.

Kiyomi Watanabe was dealt with another early exit, falling to China's Jing Tang via ippon during their Round of 32 of women's -63kg division clash on Tuesday at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.

Watanabe, ranked 92nd in the world, stepped onto the mat with a determination to deliver a better showing for the Philippines but the Chinese representative quickly asserted her dominance and got a grip of Watanabe's collar, sending her to the floor.

The world no. 22 Tang secured her position as the referee started the 20-second count, getting the ippon after 51 seconds in the four-minute bout. Watanabe failed to recover as her opponent finished the job at the 3:09 mark.

The 27-year-old Watanabe met the same fate in Tokyo three years ago, when she lost to Spanish bet Cristina Cabana Perez also in the opening round. That match saw Watanabe falling in 38 seconds.

Tang will take on Laura Fazliu of Kosovo in the Round of 16 for a chance to seal a quarterfinals seat.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News