After having finished in the top eight (5th and 7th) at the two previous Olympics, and winning the European Championship last year, Tokyo could be Judoka Hedvig Karakas’s big shot at a top medal. Here is Hungary Today’s series introducing those Hungarian athletes who could be in for gold in Japan.
The 31-year-old athlete, who will compete in the 57 kg category, dubbed herself ‘the bronze girl,’ as she previously won a World Championship and two European Championship bronze medals, while at the London Olympics in 2012 she lost the bronze final. Well, this was so until last year when she finally reached the highest rank of the podium at the European Championships. That gold opened another door for her, as subsequently, she was also elected Hungary’s Athlete of the Year for 2020.
Although being eliminated at an early stage at the 2021 World Judo Championships held in Budapest in June, she is definitely one of the favorites of the Olympic tournament, which actually has special relevance, since Japan invented the sport.
Karakas will first appear on the tatami on Monday at 4:12 a.m. (Budapest time). In case she reaches the final, the gold medal battle will start around 11:30 a.m.
featured image via Tamás Kovács/MTI