Whenever I am in my hotel room I turn on the Olympics. The Games are very different on German television from how they appear on US networks. For one thing, some sports are taken more seriously in Germany (badminton, cycling pursuit, team handball). For another, I can't quite follow the commentary - but having the sound on is still more interesting than muting it.
Judo is one of those sports that has been on much more than it would be in the US. In fact, it seems to be on every time I turn on the set. Firday, when I returned to my room, there was judo. Just as I was thinking to myself, "my god, not judo again! this is the most boring . . ." the women's 78kg gold medal match got interesting.
Maki Tsukada of Japan faced off against Dayma Beltran from Cuba. Beltran took Tsukada down hard, but couldn't quite get the Japanese woman's shoulders to touch the canvas. Beltran changed her point of leverage in an attempt to roll Tsukada onto her back, but Tsukada was immovable. Then Beltran readjusted her grip - and Tsukada rolled her right over and into a hold that won the match.
I gaped at the screen. Did I really see what I just saw? An athlete beaten, an inch away from a silver medal, and in a split second Tsukada turned a position of defeat into the starting point of victory. It was awesome. I was stunned. What had happened to me? I was moved by a judo match!
Over the past few days I had watched enough judo to acquire the beginnings of comprehension. I had begun to "see" some of what makes judo special, I could actually see the brilliant golden flash in that moment.
Posted by Martial