Shohei Ohno practicing at his alma mater Tenri University = November 2022
In mid-December last year, it was reported that Shohei Ono[30, Asahi Kasei]who won the second straight Olympic title in the judo men’s 73-kilogram class, had decided to retire from the front line. Each company followed by saying, “Paris Olympics will be abandoned.”
However, when interviewed by the Asahi Shimbun, Ohno himself said, “It’s not my intention to report. I don’t know what will happen.”
Ohno has applied for the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) overseas training program for sports instructors. In addition, he was removed from the All Japan Judo Federation’s designated athletes.
Since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, when he won the gold medal, he has not been able to return to actual competition in the men’s 73-kg class. Aiming for the 2024 Paris Olympics is in a difficult situation, but there is still a way to grab a ticket to Paris.
In response to the media reports in Japan, the International Judo Federation and French Olympic gold medalist Liner posted comments on social media regretting “Ohno’s retirement.” While he and his team haven’t made any announcements about his progress, the surroundings are filling the outer moat with “retirement”. (Shuhei Nomura)
