It may have been Spain’s first Olympic medal since 2000, when Isabel FERNÁNDEZ took gold in the -57kg category, but it is only the sixth Olympic medal in history for Team Spain, the second for the men following Ernesto PEREZ’ 1996 silver medal in the +95kg category.
Nevertheless, 24 years is a long time to go without being able to celebrate Olympic success, and no doubt the team will be feeling tremendously motivated by this win. Garrigos has been on form in this past Olympiad, claiming European and World titles, putting him among the best in the -60kg weight category, and today he continued in his bid to collect more major medals.
Falling only to the eventual Olympic Champion, Yeldos SMETOV (KAZ), Garrigos steadily made his way through his portion of the draw, defeating NAGAYAMA Ryuju (JPN) for the first time, suffering loss to the Japanese athlete five times in the past. It was his ne waza skills that helped him greatly toward success on the first day of the judo event in Paris 2024.
Garrigos’ final opponent standing in the way of an Olympic medal was the current World Champion, Giorgi SARDALASHVILI (GEO), the youngest in Georgian judo. Though both can boast World titles, the Spanish athlete has experience on his side and after an exhausting head to head, Garrigos earned the score with tomoe nage. As judo is one of the first events in the Olympic Games, we can celebrate the athletes adding their nations to the medal table, and of course, this is medal number one for Spain!
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen