Former judo world champion Asami announces retirement
Judoka Haruna Asami, a two-time world champion in the women’s U48kg division, drew the curtain on her career.
The 28-year-old, who thrived on her back throws and foot-throwing techniques, had a strong record through her career but was a stranger to the Olympics.
After winning both the 2010 and 2011 world championships, she missed out on the 2012 London Games after losing in the first round of the final qualifying trial.
She picked herself up and finished runner-up in the 2013 and 2015 worlds, but again got knocked out in the first round of the final trial for this summer’s Rio de Janeiro Games.
“I avidly threw myself into judo for 25 years. The challenges I had in the process of going after my dream, the Olympics, is something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life,” Asami said in a statement.
Asami won four World Championships medals in her weight class as she was vice world champion in 2013 in Rio and 2015 in Astana.
Asami won Grand Slams in Paris, Tokyo and Rio and weas Asian champion in 2015.
Her most frequent opponents were: Munkhbat Urantsetseg, Menezes Sarah , Fukumi Tomoko, Csernoviczki Éva and Wu Shugen.
Check the list of most successful athletes at World Championships U48kg
Result | City | Date |
---|---|---|
2 | Paris | 30 Jul |
1 | Abu Dhabi | 21 May |
1 | Zagreb | 26 Apr |
3 | Belgrade | 2023 |
2 | Montpellier | 2023 |