Controversy Struck Japanese Judo Team Praised by American NFL Star

Japan’s Judo team has already bagged five medals at the Paris Olympics, including two golds. And yet, the controversy surrounding Ryuju Nagayama continues to shed dark clouds on the nation’s success. However, it looks like the 28-year-old’s teammates are determined to make up for his heartbreak in every possible way. Their efforts have been so astounding that even a Heisman Trophy winner seems to be enthralled.

The 2012 Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III is one of the USA’s biggest NFL stars. Griffin retired from professional football in 2020 after a three-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens. While he isn’t quite in the same league as the likes of LeBron James and Michael Jordan, the 34-year-old was still a force to be reckoned with during his prime, and he can’t help but be mesmerized by how Japan’s judokas are dishing out thrillers on the mat in the French capital.

RG3 applauds Soichi Hashimoto & Co

In a post on X from hours ago, Robert lauded two Japanese stars for their impressive show of skills in their first-ever Olympic Games. 25-year-old Haruka Funakubo and a much older Soichi Hashimoto both won bronze in the women’s -57 kg and men’s -73 kg weight brackets, respectively. In his social media post, Griffin nodded his hat in the direction of both stars. “First time Olympic appearances for both. First time Olympic medals for both,” wrote the retired NFL star.

Seven-time World Championships gold medalist Hashimoto is undoubtedly one of the more popular judo stars from the country, and he displayed his mettle once again as he took down Kosovo’s Akil Gjakova to secure his place on the podium in the French capital.

After being defeated by France’s J. B. Gaba in the quarterfinal yesterday, Shoichi got another shot at glory in the repechage, where he beat Mongolia’s Batzaya Erdenebayar. On the other hand, three-time World Championships gold medalist Funakubo trounced Brazil’s Rafaela Silva 10-0 to win her bronze.

Haruka also took a blow from her French opponent in the quarterfinal, only to trample Serbia’s Marica Perisic in the repechage. While these two athletes’ victories are massive for the country’s confidence, one recurring itch, Nagayama’s misfortune, cannot be ignored altogether.

There was no way around the fiasco that occurred

In the men’s -60kg bracket, Ryuju was at the center of a controversy a couple of days ago when he clashed against Spain’s Francisco Garrigos in the quarterfinal on July 27. A debatable call by the match official awarded the Spaniard the point, but he didn’t lose his chokehold on the Japanese, resulting in the 28-year-old’s bewilderment. When he comprehended the fact that he had already lost the match, Ryuju curtly bowed the mat and left. His pain was underscored further by how he refused to shake hands with his Spanish opponent after the referee called him matte.

While the referee later accepted that the call wasn’t the correct one, Nagayama’s fate remained unaltered, and he had to settle for bronze. With 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Naohisa Takato in the stands, the judoka failed to show his predecessor his true worth, making the situation worse. However, only hours ago, he took to social media to post a photo of himself with Garrigos, as he revealed that the latter apologized for Ruju’s troubles.

Now, the only thing that remains to be seen is if the rest of the Japanese contingent in Paris can take a page out of Hashimoto and Funakubo’s books and carry the momentum to the remaining days of the 2024 Paris Olympics.