Kaori Yamaguchi

Kaori Yamaguchi ( Japanese 山口 香 Yamaguchi, Kaori ; * December 28, 1964 ) is a former Japanese judoka . She was the first Japanese judo world champion in 1984. In addition to this gold medal, she won four silver medals at world championships.

Athletic career

Kaori Yamaguchi fought in the half-light weight, the weight class up to 52 kilograms. From 1978 to 1987 she won ten consecutive Japanese championships. At the first world championships for women in 1980 in New York , she reached the final and received the silver medal behind Edith Hrovat from Austria. She was the only Japanese medalist at this premiere of women's judo. In 1981 the first Asian Championships for men and women took place in Jakarta, Japan won 13 gold medals in 16 competitions, Kaori Yamaguchi won the half-lightweight division ahead of Shu from Taiwan. In 1982 at the World Championships in Paris Yamaguchi defeated French Pascale Doger in the semifinals , and in the final she was defeated by Briton Loretta Doyle . Two years later at the World Championships in Vienna , Yamaguchi won the semifinals against Inge Heuvelmans from the Netherlands. With her final victory over Edith Hrovat, Yamaguchi was the first Japanese world champion.

In 1985 Yamaguchi won her second title at the Asian Championships against Taiwanese Ding in Kuwait City. In 1986 at the World Championships in Maastricht , she defeated the Pole Joanna Majdan in the semifinals , and in the final she was defeated by the French Dominique Brun . The following year, the fifth world championships for women took place in Essen . Yamaguchi reached the final for the fifth time with a victory over the Chinese Zhao Yanziang , where she was defeated by the British Sharon Rendle . At the 1988 Olympic Games , women's judo was held as a demonstration competition. In her first fight, Yamaguchi won against Lisa Boscarino from Puerto Rico after 3:16 minutes. In the semifinals she met Dominique Brun and lost with a coca rating. She won the battle for a bronze medal against the Moroccan Khadija Haouati after 19 seconds.

Web links

• Tournament results at judoinside.com

Footnotes

1. ↑ Career overview at judoinside.com
2. ↑ Asian Championships 1981 at judoinside.com
3. ↑ Asian Games 1985 at judoinside.com
4. ↑ Volker Kluge : Olympic Summer Games. Chronicle IV. Seoul 1988 - Atlanta 1996. Sportverlag Berlin, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-328-00830-6 . P. 227