Stone-cold Classic: Judo Star Ono Poised For Second Olympic Gold

Tokyo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jul, 2021 ) :Three-time world judo champion Shohei Ono is hoping to clinch his second Olympic gold as the Japanese martial art returns to its birthplace at the Tokyo Games, but don't expect a smile.

The 29-year-old, who is one of Japan's top medal hopes, is deadly serious about the prospect of competing at the historic Nippon Budokan and not letting down his country's judo team.

"The Olympics is not a place for enjoyment," he said in a recent interview with public broadcaster NHK.

"For me, it's a life-or-death battlefield." The master fighter dominated his rivals at the 2016 Rio Games -- overturning Japan's painful memories of London, where no male judoka won gold.

His confidence is unwavering that he can do it again, competing in the 73kg category.

"results are everything. I will win by a mile," Ono said.

The light-middleweight ace is known for his classical fighting style and formidable execution of basic moves, with a superb inner thigh throw and major outer reap.

And at the Budokan -- the famed octagonal venue where the first Olympic judo tournament was held at the 1964 Tokyo Games -- he is ready to show off his authentic approach to a sport intrinsically linked to Japan.

"I want to fully demonstrate my own style," Ono said at a press conference earlier this month.

"I would like to give a performance on the Budokan's tatami mats that will remind people of good old Japanese judo," he said.

As a Japanese judoka, "it's my role to convey how wonderful" the sport is, he added.

- 'No easy matches' - Ono, born in Yamaguchi in western Japan, has been practising judo since he was seven.

He was inspired by his elder brother, who also trained in the martial art that was founded in Japan in 1882 by teacher and sport-lover Jigoro Kano.

Ono won his first world championship in 2013, but a year later was disqualified from defending his crown for his part in a bullying scandal at his university.

He bounced back in 2015 to grab a second world title and was one of three Japanese gold medallists in judo at Rio.

Having also taken gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and retained the world title in 2019 in Tokyo, Ono said he knows his rivals will put all their strength into stopping him win again.

"Athletes from each country will fight desperately... there won't be any easy matches," he said.

"But by rising to the challenge and winning back-to-back tournaments, I want to make history in the judo world." Like other Olympic athletes at the virus-delayed Tokyo 2020 Games -- especially in contact sports like judo -- Ono's training has been hit by the pandemic and he has often had to practise alone to avoid risking infection.

He has admitted losing some of his drive after the historic postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, because he was unable to take part in official bouts for more than a year.

But he reignited his passion in May when he attended a training camp in Russia where he fought with powerful foreign rivals.

"After the overseas camp, I felt once again like I wanted to fight right away. It's like a fighting instinct," he told NHK.