Jack Yonezuka, like many other judokas, ascended the tatami at the Paris Olympics to win gold for himself and his country. The New Jersey athlete has a history that shows how judo runs in his veins. He isn’t the first generation of judoka in the family, but was born with a knack for it.

The 21-year-old’s father was also an Olympian in 1980 for Team USA. Although his grandfather didn’t step on the mat to play judo for the United States, he played an important role in bringing about a revolution for the 19th-century sport in the eastern part of the country.

Know about Jack Yonezuka’s Judo-loving family

Jack is the son of Nick Yonezuka. The 60-year-old was once also a judoka who was drafted to accompany Team USA at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Nick, who was 16 at the time, didn’t get the chance to even see the event in person because the United States boycotted the games that year.

Yonezuka continued to practice, not knowing that would be the last chance he would ever get. His father, Yoshisada Yonezuka, grew up learning judo in Japan. The judoka Yoshisada immigrated to the States in 1959 and helped spread the sport by establishing his own dojo. This is where Nick gained the talent for the sport and also learned its ways.

At the 1988 and 1992 games, Yoshisada even coached the judokas set to represent the USA at the Olympics. Just like how he trained his son, he was also the first master to his grandson, Jack. Although the latter wasn’t the best disciple in the dojo, he didn’t stop learning about the sport. The consistency only paid off in the end. After the death of his father at the age of 11 in 2014, Nick thought it best to train his kid himself and prepare him for his ultimate Olympic arrival.

Is Jack Yonezuka’s brother also a Judoka?

Jack Yonezuka isn’t the only rising star in this family of judokas. He has a brother, Nick Yonezuka, named after their father. Both brothers perform in the 73kg weight category. Unlike his younger brother, Nick isn’t in the highlights for Paris Olympics 2024. However, we won’t shy away from presenting his achievements to you. The older Yonezuka brother has won no championships on the global level so far but has been a recurring name in intra-national championships where he has secured several medals.

The judoka family is making each other proud by honing their skills and taking the fight to the opponent. No matter the result, it seems like they don’t give up on the sport running in the family. Despite his efforts leading up to the Summer Olympics Games of 2024, Jack Yonezuka lost in the qualification ’round of 32′ to A. Osmanov of Moldova. Yonezuka’s defeat allowed his last opponent to take the bronze medal home. Irrespective of the disappointing result, hopefully, we will see the judo-loving family again after four years, scoring for their country.

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