| CONTENTS |
| Latest News
& Stories Judo Links Back Issues Contact TWOJ Editor's Message |
| NEWS & PHOTO GALLERY |
| View Judo Gallery IJF Pic of the Month |
| TWOJ SHOP |
| Photo
Enquiries Subscriptions Koga Video |
| PLAYER PROFILES |
| Karen
Roberts Hilary Wolf |
 |
 South Pacific Games - Day 3 Suva, Fiji: July 12, 2003 By: Simon Hicks |
|||
| In a stunning final day in the Judo at the South Pacific Games
Fiji rose from the ashes of yesterday's mass defeat by New Caledonia to sweep the board in
the Open weight and team competitions. Their four gold medals, added to the four won on the
first day, equalled New Caledonia's eight, and thanks to the superiority in number of silvers
won, eight to New Caledonia's four, Fiji top the final Judo medal table here in Suva. But it could not have been closer and, very fittingly, in the end it all came down to the last fight. And last fights in Oceania Judo nearly always mean the appearence of Fiji's World class heavyweight Nacane Qerewaqa. At this level the Commonwealth Games champion is unstoppable. And so it proved to be in both the men's Openweight and the men's teams. In the Open Querewaqa's first opponent was the 16 year old 170 kg fighter from Guam, Ricardo Blas,who was banged onto his back three times in rapid succession. Unfortunately for Blas the first time was changed from ippon to yuko by the judges and the second was ruled outside the area. But the third thankfully scored ippon. The Open category here is a genuine open weight with many of the lighter weight champions competing. Querewaqa's opponent in the semi-final was the -90 kg gold medallist, Arnaud Bertrand from Tahiti who had narrowly defeated the -73 kg gold medallist, New Caledonia's de Habreu Trinade in a close encounter, scoring yuko with Te waza on the bell. Qerewaqa was very efficient, if not spectacular, against Bertrand, bundling him over and pinning him for ippon with an unshakable Mune gatame. Bertrand went on to take one of the bronze medals. The other was taken by Trinade, who overcame an incredible 100 kg difference in weight when he beat Blas, throwing him for a koka with a drop down Kata guruma and miraculously surviving being thrown around like a rag doll when Blas actually managed to get hold of him! Qerewaqa's opponent in the final was his smaller brother Nemani Takayawa who had defeated Peter Sablan of Guam with a big O soto gari ippon and New Caledonia's Jerome Papai, the -100 kg gold medallist, in a close contest where the decisive score was an Ouchi leg grab that sat Papai down on his rear for a koka. The final between the two Fijian brothers lasted less than a minute, Qerewaqa producing a big fully committed rolling right handed Harai goshi for the ippon that gave him the +100 kg and Open weight double.
The women's team event was a straight final between Fiji and New Caledonia, the only two South Pacific Games nations with sufficient female judoka to be able to field a five person team. Audrey Thomas at -52 kg won the first fight for New Caledonia turning Mereani Naioba's leg grab into a big, ippon scoring Harai goshi, but after that it was all Fiji. To increasing exceitment and vocal support from the home crowd first Elina Nasaudroro defeated the individual champion at -57 kg Rosa Delots by winding her all the way up the penalty scale. Then, at -63 kg, Vilimain Baleiverata turned Melissa Kaddour's Ouchi gari with Uranage for ippon, defeating another of New Caledonia's individual champions. And it was left to the double gold medallist, in the -70 kg and Open, Sisilia Naisiga, to fight the glory fight. This was against Gylhaine Durand, which Naisiga quickly won, turning her Tani otoshi for yuko and pinning her with Kami shiho gatame to win the match, amidst massive scenes of jubilation. New Caledonia withdrew their heavyweight and Fiji were 4-1 [40-10] victors. Now it was down to the men's teams. Fiji swiftly disposed of Tonga 5-0 [50-10], though the young Tongan team looked to have promise worth building on. New Caledonia v Tahiti was a much closer match, with the -73 fight between New Caledonia's individual champion Jonathan Berger and Tahiti's Frederic Garcia proving very interesting. Berger looked more like a boxer than a judoka as he smashed in his overhand grip and bludgeoned Garcia's elegant style to pieces, scoring only a koka from a counter, but that proved to be enough. In the end Arnaud Bertrand was Tahiti's only winner and New Caledonia moved on to the final by a score of 4-1 [28-10]. In the bronze medal match Tahiti dispatched Tonga 5-0 [50-0] with Garcia's immediate yuko scoring Tomoe nage into Juji gatame for ippon proving the most exciting action. And so to the grand finale - winner takes all. The victors in this match would top the medal table, and following the women's team victory Fiji were on a roll and determined to take no prisoners! But it was New Caledonia who opened the account, Cyril Chevalier neatly turning over Atunaisa Delai with a low Kata guruma for ippon. Jonathan Berger extended their lead with an efficient Tomoe nage and turn into Tate shiho gatame on Seba Sauvini that also scored ippon. Fiji had their backs to the wall and the crowd had gone strangely silent. Now came the crucial fight at -81kg between Gerald Chadfeau for New Caledonia and Josateki Naulu of Fiji. Within seconds of the start Chadfeau was penalised for pistol gripping and from then on he was always on the back foot. A desperate Osoto gari was ridden to the ground by Naulu and powerfully turned into Yoko shiho gatame. Despite massive efforts Chadfeau could not shift Naulu, Fiji were back in the match and the crowd were back in full voice. With their last two fighters being the silver and gold medallists from the Open category the contest had now swung in their favour. Facing Fiji's Nemani Takayawa was Steve Olsen. In a very tactical match there were no scores but Takayawa's superior edge play forced the step out penalty that was to lead to his eventual disqualification. Never has a hansoku make been so heartily cheered! All square with one fight to go: the winner of the -100 kg category, Jerome Papai against the +100 kg and Open weight champion Nacaneli Qerewaqa. And the Fijian finished the match in style, with his hopping Uchi mata for ippon, which practically lifted the stadium roof! Fiji had finished at the top of the table, mainly thanks to their two star performers. Had either Naisiga or Qerewaqa been a South Sea Island they would have finished third on the medal table on their own! But it was a fitting way to finish these friendly Games. Fiji have really put sport in the South Sea Islands on the map. There was even a World record at these games - in the weightlifting - and the chance to become a National hero was taken by large numbers of athletes who would normally be eclipsed in major international events. It will be interesting to see how their fighters fare in the forthcoming Oceania Judo Championships which are being held in the same arena in a couple of days time. If Fiji can build on the great success of this event they could be on their way to even great sporting success and their judoka will be a force to be reckoned with. « Day 2 « back to latest news |
||||
| TWOJ GUESTBOOK | |
| Sign
Our Guestbook View Our Guestbook |
| South Pacific Games 2003 |
|
MEN -60kg CHEVALIER, Cyril (NCL) -66kg DULAC, Paul (NCL) -73kg TRINDADE, de Habreud (NCL) -81kg LALLUT, Antony (TAH) -90kg BERTAND, Arnaud (TAH) -100kg PAPAI, Jerome (NCL) +100kg QEREWAQA, Nacanelli (FIJ) Open NACENELI Qerewaqa: (FIJ) Team Gold: FIJI Silver: New Caledonia Bronze: Tahiti WOMEN -48kg DULAC Helene (NCL) -52kg THOMAS Audrey (NCL) -57kg DELOTS Rosa (NCL) -63kg KADDOUR, Melissa (NCL) -70kg RASOKISOKI, Sisilia (FIJ) -78kg NAVIRI, Ana (FIJ) +78kg NAVIRI, Ana (FIJ)) Open NAISIGA Sisilia (FIJ) Team Gold: FIJI |