Japanese judo is feeling two-timed by Olympic champion Satoshi Ishii, who is getting ready for the world of mixed martial arts only two months after saving the Japanese sport’s pride at Beijing.
The 21-year-old will miss the 2012 London Olympics because the tradition-bound Japanese judo authority bans grapplers from turning professional.
An enfant terrible with his no-holds-barred fighting style and rough way of speaking that upsets the sport’s purists, Ishii was one of only two Japanese men to claim medals in Beijing, winning him a major fan base at home.
PHOTO: AP
But the over-100kg star sat out the world judo team championships in Tokyo on Sunday, citing a fresh injury, just as a press report said he was “determined” to join mixed martial arts.
The hybrid sport, which combines techniques from judo, karate, kick-boxing and wrestling, has become a popular fixture on Japanese television, with colorful personalities and rowdy battles.
Ishii sounded unusually cautious when he explained his intentions on Tuesday.
“I am interested in joining the world of mixed martial arts, but for now I’m focused on graduating from school,” he said.
He is set to leave Tokyo’s Kokushikan University, famous for its elite athletic programs, in March. Media reports said that several martial arts organizations are interested in him.
“I still have time and there is no use being hasty,” he said.
But judo official Kazuo Yoshimura was furious.
“This guy turns everybody into an enemy. He’d better get out without delay,” Yoshimura, director of technical development at the All-Japan Judo Federation, told reporters.
He added that he had already counted Ishii out of his plan for the London Games.
It would be impossible for Ishii to win a ticket to London, anyway, if he does not regularly compete in international events to earn points under new International Judo Federation rules to make the sport a global tour.
His possible departure from judo will deprive stylish Japan of a unique weapon against doggedly unorthodox fighters from the rest of the world.
“Judo is a brawl guided by rules,” the flexible and hard-working Ishii said after winning his second national championship in April to earn his first-ever spot in the Olympics or the worlds.
Relatively small at 108kg and 181cm, he can win by both perfect execution of skills and crafty tactics to pick up minimal points. He has not lost a bout since stepping up to the over-100kg late last year, sweeping the Austria and Kazakh Open titles.
In the end, Ishii may meet his own target.
“My ultimate goal is to become the strongest man in the world,” he said after his triumph in Beijing. “I will become the strongest in the world.”
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
RSS