Highlights: Judo was introduced into the Olympic Games by Japan when the Games were held in Tokyo in 1964. Japanese athletes won three of the four judo gold medals on offer. The fourth, however, was won by a 1.98m tall Dutchman named Anton Geesink, who twice defeated three-time Japanese national champion Kaminaga Akio. This result damaged the theory that a skilled judoka could defeat any opponent of any size. Japan's first Olympic medals were won by tennis players Ichiya Kumagae and Seiichiro Kashio in Antwerp, 1920. The pair won silver in the men's doubles, while Kumagae won silver in the men's singles.
|