is a Japanese
judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
ka.
He won the Olympic gold medal in the heavyweight (+100 kg) division in
2004. He is also a two-time world champion.
He is noted for being a remarkably small judoka in the heavyweight division; he also regularly competed in the light-heavyweight (-100 kg) class.
Suzuki is known as having some of the best ashi waza of all heavyweights.
Suzuki was eliminated in the first round of the 2010 world Judo championship in Yoyogi, Japan, via
ippon
is the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts ''ippon-wazari'' contest, usually kendo, judo, karate or jujitsu.
In Judo
In Judo, an ippon may be scored for a throw, a pin, a choke or a jointlock.
For throws, the four ...
by
Janusz Wojnarowicz
Janusz Wojnarowicz (born 14 April 1980 in Tychy) is former Polish judoka and an american football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by t ...
of Poland.
[ Kyodo News, "Ex-champ Suzuki falls at first hurdle", '' Japan Times'', 10 September 2010, p. 11.]
Suzuki dislocated his shoulder in the semi-finals of the 2012
All-Japan Judo Championships
is a judo tournament held every year in Japan. The men's tournament is held in Nippon Budokan on 29 April and the women's tournament (dubbed "Empress cup All-Japan women's Judo championships") is held in Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in April. T ...
and subsequently announced his retirement as he was not selected to represent Japan at the
London 2012 Olympic Games
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
.
Suzuki was appointed Men's Heavyweight Coach for the Japanese team by the new head coach, his friend and former rival
Kosei Inoue.
References
External links
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Competition videos of Keiji Suzukiat Judovision
1980 births
Living people
Japanese male judoka
Judoka at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Judoka at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Olympic judoka of Japan
Olympic gold medalists for Japan
Olympic medalists in judo
Asian Games medalists in judo
World judo champions
Judoka at the 2002 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Asian Games gold medalists for Japan
Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon
Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games
Universiade medalists in judo
Universiade gold medalists for Japan
Sportspeople from Ibaraki Prefecture
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