Japan's national men's judo team coach Kosei Inoue said he will be using the world championships starting Sunday at Tokyo's famed Nippon Budokan as a springboard to success at the 2020 Summer Games.
"It's really important to gain momentum for the Olympics, so I want it to be a year where we can accelerate," Inoue said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. "We're fighting now determined to be totally burnt out after the Olympics."
While Japan has already been granted host nation berths in each of the men's and women's weight classes at next summer's Olympics, Inoue — the 2000 Sydney Olympic gold medalist and three-time 100-kg world champion — said he will be giving top consideration to those who can secure a title.