Tulika Maan Exits Olympics - How The Only Indian Judoka In Paris Made Us Proud

Tulika Maan, who has made India proud multiple times as an extraordinary Judoka, suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the Paris Olympics by Cuban Olympic champion Idalys Ortiz on August 2. The 25-year-old was overpowered within 26 seconds of the opening round of the women's 78kg tournament. Ortix managed to catch Maan in katate-jime (a chokehold move) and scored an instant ippon to close out the match. Maan had secured the Paris Olympics berth through the continental ranking quota.

Despite the loss, the Indian athlete made her rightful place in the field of Judo. Her journey has inspired many and it's time we all remember this Indian athlete's name and contribution to judo. 

Tulika Maan's Journey To Paris Olympics 2024

It is Tulika Maan's dedication and unwavering commitment to do better that make her one of the best in the field. Her journey began when she made news for bagging the Silver in the Commonwealth Games of 2022. The 25-year-old is the only woman in Judo representing India in the Paris Olympics 2024 and only the ninth female Judoka representing India in the Olympics till now.

Tulika Maan, who hails from Delhi, started her Judo journey young and early. She was a silver medalist at the national junior level in Judo and in 2018 her career started by winning the Commonwealth Championship in Jaipur. In 2019, she was the winner of the Walsall Commonwealth Championship and also a Gold medallist at the South Asian Games. It was in 2022 that she gained immense momentum after winning the silver medal in the Commonwealth Games. She also sustained injury in that match after which she was on rest. 

For the Paris Games in 2024, Maan mentioned how her coach Yashpal Solanki had made a list of events but the Olympics 2024 was not a part of their calendar. She said there were chances of Avtar Singh (100kg) and Vijay Yadav (60kg) cutting the Olympic quota and she did not expect to cut.