Summer Olympics Jul 31, 2021
Will Japan’s gold rush end with judo? Not likely.
by Jason Coskrey
Japan has won nine golds in judo so far, the most by a single nation at an Olympics. Japan set the previous mark of eight in 2004.
Summer Olympics Jul 25, 2021
Day 2 recap: From skateboarding to judo, Japan brings home the gold
Japanese judoka Uta and Hifumi Abe became the first siblings to win gold medals on the same day, while Yuto Horigome bagged skateboarding's first gold.
Summer Olympics / Judo Jul 25, 2021
Family and supporters overjoyed with judoka Naohisa Takato's Olympic gold
Takato's family and supporters were ecstatic at his gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, made all the sweeter by being Japan's first of the Games.
Summer Olympics Jul 24, 2021
Day 1 recap: Glittering gold distracts from Tokyo woes
by Ossian Shine
Sport stretched out over Tokyo on Saturday and gold medals rained down as the Olympic Games burst into life, finally casting aside some of the clouds of controversy that has plagued the global showpiece.
Summer Olympics / Judo Jul 24, 2021
Naohisa Takato wins Japan's first gold medal of the Tokyo Games
by Jason Coskrey
After disappointment at the Rio Games, Takato battled to the top of podium to claim the host country's first gold of the Olympics.
Summer Olympics / Judo Jul 24, 2021
Judoka Funa Tonaki takes silver, Japan's first medal of the Tokyo Games
by Jason Coskrey
Tonaki reached the final in her Olympic debut but could not clear the final hurdle to gold, settling for silver after falling against Distria Krasniqi of Kosovo.
Olympics Mar 5, 2020
Judo standouts Funa Tonaki, Naohisa Takato set lofty goals for 2020 Games
by Kaz Nagatsuka
Funa Tonaki and Naohisa Takato aim to give the Japan national judo team a boost by winning gold medals on July 25, when the judo competition kicks off at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Tonaki and Takato were among the 12 additional judoka named to the ...
More Sports / Judo Feb 22, 2020
Japan won three gold medals Friday on the opening day of the Dusseldorf Grand Slam, with siblings Uta and Hifumi Abe both topping the podium. Nineteen-year-old sensation Uta claimed the women's 52-kg division gold with victory over French rival Amandine Buchard, while 22-year-old Hifumi won ...
More Sports / Judo Sep 21, 2018
Naohisa Takato defends under-60 kg title at world championships
Naohisa Takato earned his second straight gold medal and Funa Tonaki picked up a silver to boost Japan into an early lead at the World Judo Championships, which kicked off Thursday. Takato successfully defended his men's under-60 kg weight class title and became a three-time ...
More Sports / Judo Jul 28, 2018
Naohisa Takato, Ai Shishime claim titles on first day of Zagreb Grand Prix
Reigning world champions Naohisa Takato and Ai Shishime each won their respective divisions on Friday to give Japan an early lead at the Zagreb Grand Prix, a three-day judo tournament in Croatia. Takato earned a sixth straight win on the International Judo Federation circuit after ...
More Sports / Judo Aug 29, 2017
Judoka Naohisa Takato and Funa Tonaki won gold medals in their respective categories, while Ami Kondo settled for bronze as the world championships got underway Monday. Takato, the 2013 world champion and bronze medalist at last year's Rio Olympics, downed Pavel Petrikov of the Czech ...
More Sports / Judo Feb 12, 2017
Rio Games bronze medalist Naohisa Takato won the men's 60-kg category at the Grand Slam Paris on Saturday, while fellow Japanese Hifumi Abe and Soichi Hashimoto also claimed the 66- and 73-kg categories, respectively. It was a strong showing by the Japanese men. Takato won ...