2021 Tokyo Olympics | Indian judoka Sushila Devi Likmabam provisionally qualifies for the Games
Sushila Devi Likmabam is currently the seventh ranked judoka in Asia
|JFI
Indian judoka Sushila Devi Likmabam has provisionally qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by claiming a continental quota but the final confirmation will come only after the final list of qualifiers is released on June 28. The Indian is currently the seventh-ranked judoka in the Asian region.
Sushila Devi Likmabam, currently participating at the World Judo Championships, lost her first-round clash in the women’s 48kg event on Sunday. However, with 989 points to her name and ranked seventh in Asia, it was expected that the Indian Judoka would sneak into the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
As per the provisional list released by International Judo Federation, Sushila has provisionally qualified for the mega-event by claiming a continental quota. However, a final confirmation will come only after the final list is published on June 28. The continental quotas in Judo are allotted based on regions, with Asia allotted 10 slots.
"The information shown is provisional and only shows which judoka would be qualified if the Olympic Games were today. The list will likely change significantly until 28th June 2021, which is the deadline for obtaining points for Olympic qualification," as stated in the International Judo Federation website.
Indian sports minister Kiren Rijiju took to social media to congratulate Sushila on her achievement. However, the JFI (Judo Federation of India) is not jumping to conclusions for the time being, rather waiting for the final list to get published.
"This (International Judo Federation's list) may change and it will be final only on June 28. So, I can't say with certainty whether Sushila has or will qualify. Maybe we can know after the world championship is over on June 13 and IJF may issue another list,” said a JFI source, to PTI.
