Judo in Jeopardy: Olympic Legend Hidehiko Yoshida Sounds the Alarm – Will Japan’s Medal Drought Last
ACN presents Shigeki Maruyama MOVING SATURDAY
A radio program on TOKYO FM hosted by professional golfer Shigeki Maruyama, “ACN presents Shigeki Maruyama MOVING SATURDAY” (every Saturday from 7:00 to 7:25).
Guest: Yoshida Hidehiko, Gold Medalist in Judo
Following on from last time, our guest on the show was Yoshida Hidehiko, gold medalist in the men’s 78kg judo event at the Barcelona Olympics.
Conversation Highlights
Maruyama: At the Paris Olympics, there were three gold medals in judo? How many gold medals did you expect to win before the tournament?
Yoshida: Five players came from our Park 24 team. Four of them were aiming for a second consecutive championship, but in the end only (Abe) Hifumi was able to win.
Maruyama: This is really a matter of life and death… Director General.
Yoshida: I guess I’m being blamed (bitter smile).
Judo Rules and Japan’s Performance
Maruyama: But the world level is also improving. I guess this can’t be helped, but aren’t the rules of judo ever going to change?
Yoshida: It changes.
Maruyama: What does that mean?
Yoshida: The decision is made within the International Judo Federation (IJF). Even when we look at it, there are many things we don’t understand.
Yoshida’s Goals and Concerns
Maruyama: What are your goals in the judo world?
Yoshida: Watching the Paris Olympics, I wonder how judo will fare at the next Los Angeles Olympics. I wonder if in four years’ time, we will probably be unable to win any medals (even more so than now).
Maruyama: No, no, don’t say that…
Yoshida: This time, I felt a sense of crisis, so I thought, “This isn’t good enough.” I want to train my athletes more so that this doesn’t happen again (at the Los Angeles Olympics).
Next Guest and Program Overview
The next guest on Saturday, September 21st will be former Japanese national soccer team player and soccer commentator, Matsuki Yasutaro.
Program name: ACN presents Shigeki Maruyama MOVING SATURDAY
Broadcast time: Every Saturday from 7:00 to 7:25
Personality: Shigeki Maruyama
Broadcasting station: TOKYO FM
Broadcast date and time: Saturday, September 14, 2024 7:00-7:25
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*Broadcast information is subject to change.