Up to 100 about 20: The Olympic champion from Tokyo is ready for the Masters in Jerusalem Israel today

On July 29, 2021, another chapter was recorded in the glorious history of Japanese judo, when judoka Aaron Wolf won the gold medal at his home Tokyo Olympics and looked up at the ceiling of the Nippon Budokan - the holy of holies of martial arts in Japan.

It didn't take long for the tears to flow from Wolff's eyes, realizing what he had done when he secured the first place on the podium in the weight category up to 100 kg. "I earned my place in history," said an emotional Wolff immediately after the achievement.

The victory made the 26-year-old Wolff the first Japanese to win this weight since one of the greatest local athletes, Kosei Inwa - the head coach of the Japanese men's judo team, whose gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics crowned him as Japan's new national hero.

If the name doesn't sound very Japanese to anyone, it's because Wolf was born in the Koiba district of Tokyo to a Japanese mother and an American father who came to the country to teach English in schools.

At the age of 6 he joined the Kasuga Judo Club at the prestigious Kodokan Judo Institute.

Wolf in Tokyo.

Will he go to Jerusalem until the end?, Photo: IJF

At the institute he met Mashu Baker, who is a year older than him and will soon become his rival and role model.

Both later attended Tokai University Senior High School in Oriyasu.

Baker lived in the dorms, while Wolf drove from his home.

Whenever Baker would say, "Let's do a morning workout," Wolff would agree and leave the house at five in the morning.

When Baker started working on strength exercises and waiting at the gym, Wolff joined the same gym.

Wolff "always looked up to Baker," said Toro Takeuchi, one of Wolff's mentors.

Baker won a gold medal in the 90 kg weight category at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Wolff became world champion for the first time in 2017 and also won gold at the

World Championships in Budapest.

Today Wolff will step on the mat at the Masters in Jerusalem, in total for the second time to compete, since he recorded the huge achievement in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and will want to start the new campaign for Paris 2024 on the right foot.

were we wrong

We will fix it!

If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us