Paralympics: France hopes for gold ruch with judo underway

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00:00Let's stay in France where the Paralympics are well underway here in Paris.

00:04Let's get all the sporting action from James Vecina.

00:07James, good afternoon.

00:08Judo has started and there is already a chance of gold for France.

00:14Absolutely, Delano.

00:15We're here at the Champs-Elysees Arena,

00:17the same place where the judo took place in the Olympics.

00:21That's the stadium.

00:22The arena just behind us where they've set up a temporary area

00:26for the judo throughout the coming weeks.

00:29Judo, of course, during the Olympics was very big for France.

00:32Ten medals.

00:34Not as many titles as France was hoping to get.

00:36Two golds though.

00:37It included those two titles for Teddy Rineur,

00:40which was a huge win nevertheless for France.

00:43And as you say, there are already chances for gold.

00:46Sandrine Martinet over on the women's side

00:48has managed to make her way through to the final.

00:50That final coming up this afternoon.

00:52And later on in the week,

00:54there's another big opportunity to come from Elios Lachou Manaya.

00:58Now, he's also just as Teddy Rineur from Guadeloupe.

01:02He's a big hope for the men's 90 kilos category.

01:06And he is looking for gold after having missed out on it in the last edition.

01:11And he'll be one of the big hopes then for Japan.

01:13Now, France, a very big judo nation,

01:15but also a big para-judo country.

01:195,000 people have signed up for para-judo across France.

01:23And they've sent now nine of those athletes to come

01:26and compete here at Paris 2024.

01:30Now, I say para-judo, it differs in a couple of ways.

01:33One main way, to be honest, really,

01:35that is that it's reserved for the visually impaired.

01:38There are two categories, J1 and J2,

01:41depending on each athlete's vision.

01:43And apart from that, well, judo is exactly the same

01:46as the rest as in the Olympics.

01:48The athletes go on to try and win through Ippon or two Wazaris.

01:52The only difference though, also added to that actually,

01:55is that they begin their duels with their grip on the other judoka.

01:59So there's no having to go and look for the other person.

02:02They begin with that grip.

02:03But after that, it's the exact same story.

02:06So all of that coming up with the events coming up here at the Champs de Mars.

02:12We'll have more results for you throughout the rest of the afternoon.

02:16The first medals then coming here,

02:18but there'll be more coming throughout the rest of the coming days

02:21here at the para-judo.

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