SportsPara sport
Kokila stuns world champion Yi Liu to reach Asian Para Games judo final
The Indian judoka beat China's reigning world champion in the women's J2 -52kg semi-final in Aichi and is assured of at least silver, with Kyrgyzstan's Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy waiting in the final.
Key points
- Kokila beat reigning world champion Yi Liu of China in the semi-final.
- She is assured of at least a silver medal in the women's J2 -52kg.
- Her final opponent is Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan.
Kokila produced one of the upsets of the opening day at the Asian Para Games on Monday, beating China’s reigning world champion Yi Liu to reach the final of the women’s J2 -52kg judo event.
The win at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall guarantees the Indian at least a silver medal. Liu had come into the bout as the favourite, but Kokila came through a close contest in which both judoka scored a waza-ari and the Indian also picked up a shido, a minor penalty.
Kokila now meets Kyrgyzstan’s Aibike Ulanbek Kyzy in the final later on Monday, with gold on the line.
It is a step up from her last Asian Para Games. In Hangzhou in 2023 she won bronze in the women’s -48kg, competing a weight class lower. She has since gained experience at the highest level, competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
India had a second judoka in the medal hunt on the same mat. Kapil Parmar, the Paris Paralympics bronze medallist, beat Mongolia’s Bat-erdene Baatarsuren by ippon in 4 minutes 53 seconds in the men’s J1 -70kg before losing his semi-final to Indonesia’s Junaedi by ippon, which sent him into the bronze medal contest.
The judo results came on a strong morning for India, who won their first two medals of the Games in shooting when Mona Agarwal took gold and Avani Lekhara silver in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1.