Jack aims for elite judo grade at 97
BRITAIN’S oldest judo champion is aiming to celebrate his 97th birthday by reaching the sport’s highest possible grade – a 10th Dan.
Black belt Jack Hearn wants to achieve the martial art master status achieved by only a small band of fighters worldwide. The great grandad has been a respected exponent of the sport for almost 70 years and is the oldest judo sensei “master” in the UK.
The war veteran is a 9th Dan, but having had to wait 10 years to be able to qualify for the ultimate level he says it is now the “present he wants most”.
Jack, of Cramlington, Northumberland, said: “I took my 9th Dan in 2010 so the way the ranking works is I had to wait 10 years to get my 10th Dan.
“I will be put before a technical board who will decide. I won’t have to do throws because they have seen me fight in the past and they have seen the knowledge I have. I’ve heard nothing but we’ve had the pandemic so I don’t know if they’ll get round to it.”
He was given the name “Hoko Jun” by a Japanese student he taught in Newcastle. Jun means “shield” and Hoko is “north” so it means he is “defender of the north”. He added: “Judo teaches people to respect other people. One of the main things I teach is respect. Without that we are nothing.”