Zareena Gaibee, our Good Things Guy Olympics correspondent, watched and supported Geronay Whitebooi at a judo event, learning about the sport’s complex scoring system and the significant achievements of Japanese and French judokas in the Olympics.
Paris, France (28 July 2024) – Today, I went to watch and learn about judo. If I needed to learn French to navigate Paris, I needed some rudimentary Japanese to understand what was going on at the judo event. Japan has won 96 Olympic medals in judo, 48 of which are gold. The next most successful country is the host nation, France, with 57 medals, 16 of them gold. Here is some of what I have learnt about the sport:
Understanding Judo: A Complex Sport
Judo is a complex sport requiring both physical prowess and mental acuity. The objective is to defeat an opponent by throwing them forcefully to the ground, immobilising them, or forcing a submission. Scoring in judo is based on:
- Ippon: A decisive victory through a clean throw, pin, or submission.
- Waza-ari: A half point for a nearly successful technique.
Penalties, called shido, are given for infractions. Accumulate three shido and the opponent wins. If there is no clear winner after the match, a sudden-death overtime period (golden score) begins. Beyond the physical, judo emphasises respect, evident in the bowing before and after matches.
Supporting Geronay Whitebooi
I went to watch and support Geronay Whitebooi, who competes in the extra-lightweight category (-48kg). She won her first match against Jacqueline Solis from Guatemala with two Waza-ari, which were then converted to an Ippon. Unfortunately, she then faced Japan’s Natsumi Tsunoda, a multiple-world champion, who defeated Whitebooi in just over a minute. Geronay expressed sadness at being out in the round of 16 but felt blessed by all the support she received. This is her second Olympics, and she made it one round further than she did in Tokyo. She said she wanted to do more and go further and do so much more in these games but it was not to be. However, at 28, she still has time.
Geronay Whitebooi: A Closer Look
Geronay is from Port Elizabeth, now Gqebetha South Africa, and is not only a talented judoka but also a dedicated student, having earned an Internal Auditing degree at the University of Pretoria. Her judo journey began in 2006 at the Booysen Park Judo Club, and she quickly rose through the ranks, capturing the attention of the international judo community. She holds the distinction of being South Africa’s only judoka at this year’s Olympic Games, making her participation especially significant for the country.
Career Highlights:
- Olympic Games: Tokyo 2021, Paris 2024
- IJF World Championships: Budapest 2021, Abu Dhabi 2024
- World Tour: Tokyo 2022, Antalya 2023, Ulan Bator 2022, Ulan Bator 2023, Tbilisi 2023
Zareena Gaibee will be on the ground in Paris for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics events, sharing her take on the prestigious sporting event, giving exclusive insights into life at the games, and hopefully meeting many of the South Africans in Paris who are competing and supporting. She will be reporting her findings for Good Things Guy, giving readers a glimpse of what flying the flag in Paris is all about.
You can follow her series via Good Things Guy here.
If you would like to talk about sponsorship of this series, please reach out to us via email here.
by 