CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA – Miku Tashiro fell in the women’s under 63-kg semifinals on Thursday, but won a bronze medal at the World Judo Championships.

The 20-year-old Tashiro lost by ippon to Israel’s Yarden Gerbi, who was in turn defeated in the final by France’s Clarisse Agbegnenou. Tashiro then defeated Italy’s Edwige Gwend by ippon to seize one of the bronze medals. Slovenia’s Tina Trstenjak won the other.

“It’s no good for me to try and overpower foreign opponents,” Tashiro said. “I have to win using foot technique and speed.”

Tashiro, competing in the worlds for the first time, had reached the semifinals by winning all of her first four matches by ippon.

In the men’s under-81 kg division, Takanori Nagase won his repechage match against Lebanon’s Nacif Elias, but lost his bronze medal match against beaten semifinalist Loic Pietri of France. Nagase had lost his quarterfinal match against Georgia’s Afvtandili Tchrikishvili. The Georgian, ranked No. 1 in the world, went on to win the gold medal.

The fourth day of the competition was the first in which Japan did not win a gold medal.