“I couldn't believe it . . . it is massive,” King said.
“She's only 20; I wasn't expecting these results yet,” he said in reference not just to Rome but her development over the past couple of years.
Andrews started the tournament with an ippon win against Spaniard Eunate Extebarria Bilbao.
A tough second bout against Ukraine's Diana Semchenko ended when Semchenko fell screaming to the mat and withdrew injured although King felt Andrews had had the better of her during the fight.
That put her through to the semifinals against world No.8 Shiyan Xu — the top-ranked judoka in the division.
“She smashed her,” King said. “She got caught out at the start when the Chinese girl threw her, but it wasn't a full point (move).
“I saw the look on Syd's face. It peeved her to be thrown so early.”
The fight ended when Andrews picked up Xu and slammed her into the mat.
China's world No.13 Xin Su got the better of Andrews in the final to win by ippon.
That mattered little to King. Getting to the final and beating a world top-10 judoka along the way was “awesome” and confirmation of the hard work she had been putting in.
It also sent a message to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
King said that to make the Olympics squad judoka had to prove they could finish in the top 16.
“She's just beaten someone in the top 10 . . . it's a massive result.
“She's stoked with herself . . . I'm over the moon and our club's so proud of her. They all know Syd. She loves the kids and kids love her.”
Andrews went into Rome with a world ranking of 33.
King said the points gained would place her in the top 32 and earn her an invitation to the prestigious Judo World Masters.
That tournament features “all the guns” and has big Olympic qualification points up for grabs.
Andrews is also building towards her first senior world championships in Doha, Qatar, in May.
Next up, though, is a three-day international training camp in Germany which King says will play an important part in her progress.
“At a camp, you can have 30 to 40 fights, which is what Syd needs . . . to improve her skills and be put under pressure.
“To be the best, you have to train with the best.”
All the best European-based judoka would be there, King said.
Performances like the one in Rome showed Andrews was on track, and she was being noticed — turning heads.
“People are saying, ‘Who is this Kiwi girl?'
“I messaged her (after the final) and said, ‘It must be a great feeling'.
“She said, ‘I like that feeling. I want to feel more of that feeling'.”
King is confident she will.
