The 5 most successful judo cadets at senior level

Have you always wondered what is the relevance of Cadet World or Continental Championships? We would like to point out for you the most successful cadets who became our current stars. The Cadet World Championships were held for the first time in 2009 and in total six editions. Who grew from talent to world senior level domination.

Naohisa Takato (JPN). The Japanese lightweight won three World titles and is still the benchmark in his category U60kg. He won the cadet world title in 2009 and captured the junior world title in 2011 followed by his first senior world title in 2013 in Rio. He took Olympic bronze in Rio and regained his world title in 2017 and prolonged it in 2018. With four medals he dominates this category with his rival Nagayama. Takato took 11 Grand Slam victories and with his unorthodox, non-Japanese style he is the choice of headcoach Kosei Inoue for the Olympic Games on home soil.

Khasan Khalmurzaev (RUS). Khalmurzaev was successful from the start of his career and a natural talent together with his twin brother Khusen. Khasan won the cadet World title in 2009 in Budapest and he is the only medallist at cadet worlds who captured an Olympic title. He is unique and you could conclude that Cadet worlds are not a guarantee for a successful senior career but it usually takes 7 years before a cadet gets traction at senior level. Since the first cadet worlds in 2009, Khasan converted to the best possible medal in a career, the Olympic gold that he captured in Rio. Although he won a bronze medal at the senior World Championships in 2017, Khasan never won the world title in this competitive weight category U81kg. No problem, everyone is jealous at his golden back patch.

Daria Bilodid (UKR). This Ukrainian rocket won two world titles at senior level while she took the cadet world title in 2015. She was without a doubt the fastest judoka ever who needed only three years from cadet level to the highest senior level. An exceptional talent who ignored the Japanese resistance from previous cadet world champions such as Ami Kondo or Russian prodigy Irina Dolgova. The Tokyo Olympics will be her first chance to take the precious Olympic gold medal within five years after her first world title… we know…. It could have been four years. Impatience is one of the worst habits of a judoka, impatience to attack in a contest and impatience for a cadet having a too ambitious career schedule. Bilodid is the only one who could deal with the pressure from outside.

Ami Kondo gets an honourable mention winning the cadet World title in 2011 in Kiev. Kondo took Olympic bronze in 2016 in Rio where current Olympic champion Paula Pareto was the surprise of the day. Kondo did capture three senior world championships medals and grabbed the world title in 2014.

Japanese heavyweight Sarah Asahina was the cadet world champion of 2011 in Kiev. The moved fast and took the gold at her first World Cup in Sofia in 2016 at the age of 16. Asahina was the youngest ever cadet world champion followed by Daria Bilodid. No surprise Asahina would succeed at senior level with two world titles. One in 2018 in Baku and in the Open weight category in 2017 in Marrakech, so double chances. She captured four World Championships medals meanwhile. Her chance on the Olympic title though seems gone now that her even younger rival Akira Sone was nominated for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Hifumi Abe of Japan showcases next level judo. However it’s not a guarantee for a place at the Olympics. Abe is the only athlete who still battles for an Olympic spot. Together with Joshiro Maruyama he in the race for Tokyo 2021 in his category U66kg in which he won the cadet world title in Miami. As youngster of 15 years he already dominated this category and he won the Tokyo Grand Slam in 2014 when he was 17 which he now claimed four times. With two world titles in 2017 and 2018 he cannot complain about the success so far. With Maruyama as nemesis he took bronze in 2019 but is still a stunning athlete and one of the two are poised for Olympic gold. Abe seems more vulnerable in this moment but is always going for the ippon and developed as a real eyecatcher for judo with his sister Uta who skipped cadet level and debuted at world level with the junior world title in 2017. Together they won the world title in 2018.