Entering the competition as part of the expanded circle of medal contenders, Piovesana managed to secure a Waza-ari against Esmigul Kujulowa from Kazakhstan in the morning, and then defeated her former British teammate Lucy Renshall in the Golden Score with an Ippon. She lost to the Mexican Prisca Awiti Alcaraz, who also hails from England, in the Golden Score with a Waza-ari. At the start of the repechage round, Piovesana stopped the South Korean Kim Ji-su with an Ippon (submission in a chokehold), against whom she had lost in May at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Before the evening session, Piovesana expressed that she was happy to have made it to the repechage round. “I didn’t think that at the beginning of the day. I didn’t think I would win against the British athlete.” Everything felt like a bonus, and she was satisfied with being seventh, although she of course wanted more. Piovesana narrowly missed the semifinals, believing she had already scored against Awiti Alcaraz, which was not awarded. “That happens sometimes. She is a very good friend of mine,” she said.
Overall, it felt a bit like the “British national championships,” Piovesana mentioned when referring to her opponents. She is friends with one, Awiti Alcaraz, while the other, Renshall, is the opposite. “I haven’t beaten her in years, and she was one of the reasons I left the British team. Mentally, it was tough today, and it was a strange competition.”
Thus, Tuesday also involved some sort of dealing with the past for Piovesana on a personal level. Not entirely in sports, as she had also already lost a bronze match at both the 2023 World Championships in Doha and the European Championships this year in Zagreb, thus at two major events.
Piovesana left the national training center in the UK due to bullying, while Awiti Alcaraz did so due to not being nominated for events, as the ÖOC athlete recounted. Piovesana is in a relationship with judoka Laurin Böhler and found a new home in Vorarlberg during the Corona pandemic. Meanwhile, investigations into bullying were underway within the British judo association, and Piovesana was one of those who stood up against it. “When the investigations began, the environment became toxic,” she told the APA. She decided that she no longer wanted to return to the training center. She did not compete on the tatami for three years.
Wachid Borchashvili, brother of Tokyo bronze medalist Shamil, was eliminated in the second round on Tuesday. He initially defeated Mohammad Samim Faizada from Afghanistan with an Ippon in the arena in front of the Eiffel Tower. However, he then had to succumb to the three-time world champion and later Olympic silver medalist Tato Grigalashvili from Georgia with a Waza-ari.
“I tore the ligament in my knee two weeks ago and have since been treated almost around the clock by the medical team of the ÖOC. His attack was against my left knee,” explained the 25-year-old from Upper Austria, who was heavily disappointed.