Akio kaminaga biography sample

Japanese judoka (–)

Akio Kaminaga (神永 昭夫, Kaminaga Akio, December 22, &#; March 21, ) was a Japanese judoka who won a silver medal in the open weight category at the Summer Olympics.^[1]

Biography

Kaminaga was born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture,^[2] and began learning judo during high school; a considerably late start for a top competitor.

Kaminaga improved his techniques at a quick pace, and took a dan rank exam at the Kodokan Institute at the suggestion of his colleagues during his senior year in high school.

Akio KAMINAGA - Olympics.com

Kaminaga defeated 19 straight opponents in the exam, and was awarded a third dan ranking on the spot.

However, Kaminaga was completely outclassed when he participated in the Meiji University judo team's sparring sessions. This convinced him to enter Meiji University,^[3] and he continued to practice judo at the Kodokan Institute.

Kaminaga had several career choices after graduating, but became an employee of Fuji Steel (cu