Judo-Georgia's Bekauri and Croatia's Matic reach judo semi-finals

PARIS : Reigning Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri of Georgia and Croatian world number one Barbara Matic reached the judo semi-finals in their respective weight classes at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.

Bekauri, who is on track to become a double Olympic champion at the age of 24, beat South Korea's Han Ju-yeop in the quarter-finals by ippon in one minute and 22 seconds in the men's under 90kg category.

He will be the favourite against Georgian-born Tristani Mosakhlishvili of Spain in the semi-finals.

France's Maxime-Gael Ngayap Hambou meets Japanese world championship bronze medallist Sanshiro Murao in the other men's semi-final.

Ngayap Hambou, 23, beat Greek Theodoros Tselidi with a golden score waza-ari in the quarter-finals.

Fans at the Champs-de-Mars Arena stood up and chanted "Allez les bleus", as French judokas Marie Eve Gahie and Ngayap Hambou fought simultaneously, both wearing blue judogi.

The boisterous support helped fire Ngayap Hambou to victory but did not have the same effect for 2019 world champion Gahie, who was beaten by Austria's Michaela Polleres, Tokyo Games silver medallist, in the women's under 70kg quarter-finals.

Gahie lost by ippon, but her medal hopes are still alive as she will go through repechage, beginning her fightback against Belgium's Gabriella Willems.

Austrian flag bearer Polleres will battle Germany's Olympic debutant Miriam Butkereit for a spot in the final.

Twice world champion Matic faces Dutch judoka Sanne van Dijke in the other women's semi-final. Van Dijke, who won bronze in Tokyo, beat Japan's Saki Niizoe, the 2023 world champion, ending the Asian country's run in the weight class.