Japanese judo star Uta Abe was defeated by world number one Diyora Keldiyorova of Uzbekistan in her second fight at the Paris Olympics. Abe, a four-time world champion, won gold at the Tokyo Olympics the same day her brother Hifumi Abe won the men’s under-66 kg category. Soon after the defeat, Abe broke down, and was inconsolable. The viral video shows the disheartened athlete leaving the arena with her coach Masuchi Katsuyuki, avoiding the media. However, the crowd continued cheering for her. Sharing the video, an X handle @coolearth_jp wrote, “I can’t get the screams of Judo athlete Abe Uta out of my head.” Watch the viral video here: 畳から出て…柔道女子52kg阿部詩選手の絶叫的号泣が耳から離れません… #柔道 #JUDO #阿部詩 #パリオリンピック柔道 #パリ五輪 #阿部一二三 #阿部兄妹 #UtaAbe pic.twitter.com/WmGxXVum16 — Lover Sweet∴∵∶∷Ex (@coolearth_jp) July 28, 2024 Shared on July 28, the video amassed over 4.6 million views. Reacting to it, a user wrote, “Abe Uta lost by submission to the world's number one ranked player. But she really did her best. The more effort you put in, the more tears you shed. I'm sure Abe Hifumi will do his best after this. Good luck Abe siblings!!!” “When you're truly sad, that's the kind of voice you make,” another user commented. “She worked so hard,” a third user wrote. "Great champions never die. They may stumble sometimes, but they always rise. We are thinking of you," the official handle of the Paris Olympics wrote on X. See here: Les grandes championnes ne meurent jamais, elles trébuchent parfois, mais elles se relèvent toujours. On pense à toi Uta Abe ❤️🩹 偉大なチャンピオンは決して死なない。時にはつまずくこともあるけれど、必ず立ち上がる。私たちはあなたのことを思っています 阿部詩 ❤️🩹#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/wRKuCHeCS4 — Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) July 28, 2024 "She was sobbing uncontrollably after stepping off the tatami, and she cried a lot in the athletes' room. She was very down, so I couldn't say anything to her. All I could do was gently pat her back to console her. It's something that will take time," Katsuyuki told Olympics News.
