Naohisa Takato

Naohisa Takato

Japanese judoka
Date of Birth: 30.05.1993
Country: Japan

Content:
  1. Biography of Naohisa Takato
  2. Early Career
  3. Rise to Success
  4. Continued Excellence
  5. Olympic Journey
  6. Unique Style and Personal Life

Biography of Naohisa Takato

Naohisa Takato is a Japanese judoka who has achieved great success in his career. He was born on February 18, 1993, in the village of Nogi, Japan. Takato began practicing judo at the young age of seven and trained at the Nogi Judo Club alongside his teammate Masashi Ebinuma.

Naohisa Takato

Early Career

During his time in school, Takato won several local and national competitions in his respective age category. In 2009, at the age of 17, he emerged victorious at the Masters Bremen tournament, becoming the champion in the under 17 age group. The following year, Takato won the Aix-En-Provence tournament in the under 20 age category.

Naohisa Takato

Rise to Success

In 2011, Takato became the world champion in the under 20 age group. He also achieved notable results in adult competitions, finishing second at the Kodokan Cup and Grand Prix Quingdao and third at the Grand Slam Tokyo. In 2012, he won the Moscow and Tokyo Grand Slam tournaments, the World Judo Federation Cup in Tashkent, and placed third at the Kodokan Cup.

Naohisa Takato

Continued Excellence

Takato's success continued in 2013 when he won the Paris and Tokyo Grand Slam tournaments, as well as the World Masters tournament in Tyumen. He also claimed the title of world champion and ranked first in the global rankings for both 2013 and 2014. In 2014, Takato won the Ecco Europe-Asia Team Championships, the Hungarian Grand Prix, and secured a bronze medal at the World Championships in Chelyabinsk.

Naohisa Takato

Olympic Journey

In 2015, Takato emerged victorious at the World Masters tournament in Rabat and the Paris and Tokyo Grand Slam tournaments. He also performed well at the IJF ranking tournament. Takato participated in the 2016 Olympic Games in the 60-kilogram category, where he competed against 35 judokas. Though he lost in the quarterfinals, he fought his way through the repechage and won the bronze medal.

Unique Style and Personal Life

Naohisa Takato stands out as one of the few Japanese judokas who specialize in power throws using their hands, particularly the Kata Guruma. He has been performing this technique without gripping below the belt since 2013 when leg grabs were banned in judo. Additionally, Takato enrolled at Tokyo University in 2012 and completed his studies in 2016. He is married to fellow judoka Kane Abe, and they welcomed their son in 2015.

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