An ‘osotogari’ brings new win for Otaki teen
New Zealand has proven fertile ground for a Japanese exchange student who has dominated national competition in judo.
The Otaki College exchange student who gave up judo in his homeland has won a national secondary schools’ title.
Ryutaro Ito, 16, won the under60kg division at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Championships in Tauranga earlier this month.
From Nagoya, Japan, Ito gave up judo when he was 14, as his school did not have a judo club, and he wanted to concentrate on his studies.
Once in New Zealand, though, he returned to the sport.
He started competing again, for the Kapiti Judo Club, after arriving in New Zealand in January. Since then, he has won six gold medals, and is unbeaten.
Ito beat Auckland’s Finn Kellmann in the final, but it was his defeat of Bradley Wong in the semifinal which satisfied him the most.
Wong, also from Auckland, was the secondary schools’ under50kg champion in 2014, and the under-55kg champion last year.
‘‘He was a national champion, and I think he’ll become an Olympian in the future,’’ Ito said.
‘‘He tried to throw me a lot of times, and I couldn’t throw hm because he was speedy and tough.’’
Ito said he could not rely on his uchi mata throw, which he often falls back on during a bout. He won the fight using an osotogari throw, which he had never used in competition before.
Ito said the bout lasted about three minutes, about two minutes longer than his other bouts.
Ito said his goal is not to lose a bout while he is in New Zealand - he returns to Japan in December.
He said he owes a lot to the Kapiti club, where he learned osotogari.
‘‘I want to pay them back. I want to spread the Kapiti Judo Club name around New Zealand.’’
Other Kapiti residents to place at the secondary school tournament included Russell Jones, of Kapiti College, who won gold in the under-50kg division, and Dima Gladkih, from Paraparaumu College, who took silver in the under-66kg category.
Kapiti sent five judoka away for the secondary school tournament.
Ito will compete with Gladkih at his next tournament, the Auckland International Championships on July 30 and 31.