Fil-Jap judoka gone in 65 seconds

LONDON – World No. 5 Kim Sung-Min of Korea downed Fil-Japanese Tomohiko Hoshina with one sweeping motion 1 minute, five seconds into their heavyweight judo match (+1-00kg) and ended the Olympic stint of one more Philippine entry yesterday morning at the Excel-North Arena 2 inside the Olympic Park here.

Ranged against a taller (6-3) heavier (127 kg) and more experienced opponent, the 25-year-old, 5-11, 125 kg Fil-Japanese, who entered the match with a hurting left knee, could not get a way to score against the Korean who used harai-goshi technique to send Hoshima to the ground.

The Korean scored the automatic win with an ippon after throwing Hoshima on his back on the ground with force and speed, pinning him down on one shoulder within the required minimum time of 25 seconds.

“He was very tall, and heavier and I could not do much to throw him to the ground,” said Hoshima, the son of a Japanese and a Filipina from Fuji City in the Shijuoka Prefecture of Japan.

“I am going back to Japan to resume my teaching career and look at my (Olympic) plans from there,” he told Japanese reporters.

While Kim entered the bout the easy favorite with his third place finish in the 2011 World Championships, Hoshima was a last-minute entry as a 97th ranked judoka in the world with his seventh place in the 2011 Continental Championship, which earned him a place in London.

The credential was apparently not enough to put up a show against the Korean, who was calm and composed in scoring one of the shortest victories – the shortest for a Filipino – in the Olympic Games.

Hoshima joins swimmers Jasmine Alkhaldi (100m freestyle) and Jessie King Lacuna (200m freestyle), archers Rachelle Ann Cabral and Mark Javier, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and shooter Paul Brian Rosario (skeet) back in the quiet of the Philippine camp where only four – boxer Mark Barriga, BMX rider Miguel Caluag, long jumper Marestella Torres and 5,000 m runner Rene Herrera – are in the running.

Barriga became the only Filipino to go beyond the first round following his impressive 17-7 victory over Manuel Cappai of Italy in the round of 32 in the light flyweight (46-49 kg) of the boxing competitions.

Barriga is set to fight Birshan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan in the round of 16 at the Excel-Arena 3 inside the Olympic Park on Saturday.