Steady and strong, An Ito from the Shinto shrine judo class participates in the Nissei National Judo Tournament | YOU Yokkaichi

[Mr. An Ito (second from left), his father Masahiro (center), and representative Sakashita of the Shinto Judo class (second from right) are burning their fighting spirit in preparation for the tournament = Suwa-cho, Yokkaichi City]

An Ito (5th grade student at a municipal elementary school), who attends a Shinto shrine judo class in Yokkaichi City, will participate in the 33rd Nissei National Judo Tournament to be held on November 17th at the Kodokan Daidojo (Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo). He will participate as a representative of Mie Prefecture. Prior to the tournament, on the 12th of the same day, class representative Hiroo Sakashita and his father and instructor, Masahiro Ito, visited Yokkaichi City Hall and expressed their enthusiasm for the tournament to Mayor Tomohiro Mori and Yokkaichi City Council Vice-Chairman Tsuguya Ito. I spoke.

On the national stage at the Kodokan, he is full of fighting spirit and says, “I want to demonstrate what I’ve learned and win an ippon.” Each prefecture is represented by strong athletes, regardless of gender. Ito also won against the boys and became the representative player for the fifth graders.

Even at home, he makes efforts to become stronger, such as core training. Masahiro watches over his child’s growth, saying, “He’s steadily getting stronger step by step.” The Mie Prefecture team made it to the top eight in the tournament last year and has won the tournament in the past, and is said to be the favorite to win in the first round, as they are attracting attention from other national teams.

When asked about his daily practice, Ito said, “I enjoy judo.” Mayor Mori looked forward to the tournament and his future success, saying, “I want him to fight against strong opponents and become stronger and stronger.”