It will be bronze at best: French Olympic champion Clarisse Agbégnénou (-63 kg) was eliminated in the semi-finals of the World Masters in Budapest, where she will play a final medal match on Saturday afternoon. One year before the Olympic Games and three months after becoming world champion for the sixth time, Clarisse Agbégnénou this time failed to find the solution against the Japanese Miku Takaichi.
After giving birth to a daughter in June 2022, Agbégnénou impressed in May in Doha. This time, she stumbled against the double vice-world champion Takaichi (29 years old). The Japanese had not beaten the native of Rennes since 2017, who was dominated by ippon, on an armbar, after nine minutes of fierce fighting (five in addition to regulation time).
Agbégnénou (30) had already had to scrap to climb into the half. First against the solid Portuguese Barbara Timo, eliminated after three penalties in overtime. Then against another Japanese, Nami Nabekura, on waza-ari, in the quarter-finals.
She will have to beat the Czech Renata Zachova for bronze, a little after 5:00 p.m., in this Masters, a sort of “World Championship bis” open to the 36 best in the world in each category. The other two Blues in the running on Saturday were eliminated: the 2020 European champion Margaux Pinot (-70 kg) in the second round and Benjamin Axus (-73 kg) at the start.
