After a closely contested match, the representative of Chinese Taipei, Chen-Hao Lin, eliminated the Colombian Erika Lasso with an Ippon (10 – 0) scored after immobilizing our representative for 20 seconds on the tatami of Pista 1 at the Champ de Mars Arena in the early hours of Saturday, during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The match started cautiously, as both judokas sized up their opponent and although they attempted to score several points during the first two minutes, none of the holds were valid. With almost three minutes left, Erika managed to throw the Asian opponent; however, the latter was able to respond and it did not result in any points against her.
With almost a minute left in the match, in a swift move, the Taiwanese Lin managed to hold the Colombian, throw her, and immobilize her. Although Erika tried to break free, Chen-Hao was able to restrain her for the necessary 20 seconds to score an Ippon (maximum score) and end the match.
“Thank you very much to everyone for the support. Even though I qualified in a short time, I always kept my expectations very high. I was doing a good job with my coaches. I had confidence in them, in my work, and well, in the end, in just one match my dream ends. I didn’t meet my expectations, but I believe God has a purpose for me,” commented the Colombian judoka after the match in Paris 2024.
Cesar Vinasco, coach of Erika, also shared his thoughts on the match: “I think it was a good match; she performed well in the first part. Erika is an athlete who doesn’t like to give less in a match; she always likes to give more. Unfortunately, in judo, a match doesn’t have a second or third round, and it can last 20 minutes or ten seconds. I consider that she did well; it is her first cycle, she came with all her willingness, and we hope to see her succeed because she is an athlete with very good qualities and an impressive attitude.”
Thus, Erika Lasso concluded her competition in the first match of the women’s -48 kilograms category contested at the Arena Campo de Marte. Starting from 6:30 am, María Camila Osorio will debut at Paris 2024 in the first round of tennis at the Roland-Garros venue.
Photo courtesy of Panam Sports.