Kazuhiro Ninomiya facts for kids
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| Born | {{#property:P569}} | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | Not recognized as a date. Years must have 4 digits (use leading zeros for years < 1000). (aged Error: Need valid year, month, day) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Judoka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Judo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | –93 kg, +93 kg, Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals |  (1973) |
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| Regional finals |  (1972) |
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| Olympic finals |  (1976) |
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Medal record
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| Updated on 21 June 2023. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuhiro Ninomiya (二宮 和弘, Ninomiya Kazuhiro, born 28 November 1946 in Fukuoka, Japan) is a retired judoka who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics. He is famous for winning a gold medal in judo.
Contents
Kazuhiro Ninomiya's Judo Journey
Kazuhiro Ninomiya was born in Fukuoka, Japan, on November 28, 1946. He grew up to become a very skilled judoka. Judo is a Japanese martial art and Olympic sport.
Early Training and Achievements
After finishing his studies at Tenri University, Ninomiya joined a special judo training school. It was called Shoki Juku, and he learned from a great instructor named Isao Okano. In April 1972, he became a police officer in Fukuoka Prefecture. That same year, he earned third place in the All-Japan Judo Championships.
Ninomiya quickly started winning big competitions:
- He won a gold medal in 1970 at the Asian Judo Championships. This was in the heavyweight division.
- In 1973, he won another gold medal at the 1973 World Judo Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. He won in the open weight division, beating future Olympic champion Haruki Uemura.
- He earned a silver medal at the 1975 World Judo Championships.
- In 1976, he won the All-Japan Judo Championships for the first time. This win helped him qualify for the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Olympic Gold Medal
When it was time for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the Japanese team had already chosen other judokas for the heaviest divisions. This meant Ninomiya had to compete in a lighter category. He entered the half heavyweight division, which was for judokas weighing up to 93 kg. This was a challenge because he had to lose over 7 kg from his usual weight.
Even with this challenge, Ninomiya used his height and long arms to his advantage. He was quite tall for his weight class, standing at 6 feet 2 inches. He became the first Japanese judoka to win a gold medal in the half heavyweight division. He is still one of only two Japanese judokas to win an Olympic medal in that specific division.
Life After Competition
Kazuhiro Ninomiya stopped competing after the 1978 Jigoro Kano Cup. He retired at the same time as his friend and rival, Isamu Sonoda. They had a long history together, being born in the same year and joining the same police force. They also competed in the same World Championships and Olympics.
After his retirement, Ninomiya continued to be involved in judo. He served as an advisor for different judo groups. In 2007, he became a judo instructor at the Nishinippon Institute of Technology. He helped teach new generations of judokas.
See also
- List of judoka
- List of Olympic medalists in judo
