Rising Judo Star: 20-Year-Old Ryuga Tanaka Makes History with Dazzling Debut at 2028 LA Olympics and Kodokan Cup Victory

Seven classes were held for men, and Ryuga Tanaka (20, University of Tsukuba), who placed second last year, took his first victory in the 73 kg class. Tanaka won a major domestic title following the All Japan Invitational Weight Category Championship in April. He also earned the right to participate in the Grand Slam (GS) Tokyo Games (Tokyo Gymnasium) in December, and confidently announced his name to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics team.

In the finals, he threw a single shoulder throw just 45 seconds into the competition against Hidesuke Uchimura (Self-Defense Forces), who he also faced in the selection finals. After achieving a brilliant ippon victory, he said, “This tournament was an important start (to the Los Angeles Olympics). I was able to compete at my peak.” The four matches leading up to the finals were all close to normal, with all matches decided by skill. Regarding the finals, he said, “I have to win despite the countermeasures.I wasn’t aiming for it, but I’m glad I was able to win with my specialty.”

Although she won the selection for the World Championships in May of this year, she did not have enough experience in international competitions and missed out on being selected for the individual competition. Still, he made it to the mixed team squad, and in the final against France, he defeated Gaba, who later won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. After watching the Olympics, he gained confidence, saying, “I thought I had the ability to compete on the world stage.”

Although there is a big hurdle standing in his way as he heads to the big stage four years from now with Paris Olympics bronze medalist Soichi Hashimoto and World Championship 2nd place Itsuki Ishihara, he pats his arm and says, “I want to prepare to compete for Los Angeles.” Keiji Suzuki, the coach of the Japan Men’s National Team, praised Tanaka for his outstanding winning performance, saying, “It was a great game.His winning and throwing instincts are great.” We look forward to seeing her perform well at the GS Tokyo tournament, which will also serve as the World Championship (Budapest) representative selection event next June.

His older brother is Ryoma, who won this year’s world championship in the 66kg class. Together with their older brother Hifumi Abe, a two-time Olympic champion, who faces a big hurdle, the Tanaka Brothers aim to reach the Hinoki stage four years from now.

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