Keiko Maeda

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Keiko Maeda ( Japanese 前 田桂子 Maeda Keiko ; born March 25, 1980 in Hyōgo Prefecture ) is a former Japanese judoka . She was world champion in 1999.

Athletic career

The 1.61 m tall Keiko Maeda competed in the light middleweight division, the weight class up to 63 kilograms. In 1998 she won the title at the Junior World Championships in Cali. At the 1999 World Championships in Birmingham she defeated the French Celita Schutz in the second round , the Czech Danuše Zdeňková in the quarterfinals and the Hungarian Eszter Csizmadia in the semifinals . She won the world championship by beating the Belgian Gella Vandecaveye in the final . In May 2000 she won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships in Osaka. At the Olympic Games in Sydney , she was eliminated in her opening fight against Celita Schutz by a large score (waza-ari). After that she was still in international tournaments until 2005, but no longer took part in international championships.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Maeda, Keiko
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese judoka
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH Hyogo Prefecture