Tadahiro Nomura facts for kids
Nomura in 2015
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 10 December 1974 (age 50) Kōryō, Nara, Japan |
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| Died | Not recognized as a date. Years must have 4 digits (use leading zeros for years < 1000). (aged Error: Need valid year, month, day) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Tenri University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Judoka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 164 cm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Japan |
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| Sport | Judo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | –60 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals |  (1997) |
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| Olympic finals |  (1996, 2000, 2004) |
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Medal record
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| Updated on 30 May 2023. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tadahiro Nomura (野村 忠宏, Nomura Tadahiro, born 10 December 1974) is a retired Japanese judoka. He is famous for being the only judoka in the world to win three Olympic gold medals in a row. All his wins were in the extra lightweight (60 kg) division.
Contents
Tadahiro Nomura's Judo Journey
Early Life and Family
Tadahiro Nomura was born on December 10, 1974, in Kōryō, Nara, Japan. He grew up in a family deeply involved in judo. His grandfather was a judo teacher in their town. His father coached Shinji Hosokawa, who won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Tadahiro's uncle, Toyokazu Nomura, also won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Nomura started learning judo at his grandfather's training hall (dojo) when he was six years old. He did very well in judo competitions during his high school years. In 1993, he went to Tenri University.
First Olympic Gold Medal
In April 1996, Nomura won the All-Japan Selected judo championships for his weight class. This win earned him a spot on the Japanese Olympic team. He went to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States.
Even though he was not very well known worldwide at the time, he surprised many. On July 26, 1996, he won his first Olympic gold medal. He defeated Girolamo Giovinazzo using a judo throw called seoi nage.
World Champion and Injury
Nomura continued his success by winning the All-Japan Selected judo championships again in 1997. He also won a gold medal at the 1997 World Judo Championships in Paris. This showed he was the top judoka in his weight class.
He won the All-Japan Selected judo championships for the third time in 1998. However, on January 9, 1999, he hurt his left knee during a competition. He had to stop competing for the rest of that year. This time off allowed him to recover and finish his degree in health education.
Second and Third Olympic Gold Medals
Nomura returned to competition at the All-Japan Selected judo championships in 2000. He won the event for the third time, which meant he would go to the Olympics again. On September 16, 2000, he made history at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He became the first judoka in the 60 kg division to win two Olympic gold medals in a row. He defeated Jung Bu-Kyung of South Korea in just 14 seconds with a sumi otoshi throw.
In May 2001, Nomura married Yoko Sakai, a former model. He took some time off from judo to study in San Francisco. In April 2003, he won the All-Japan Selected judo championships again. This was his fourth win overall. He then competed at the 2003 World Judo Championships but only won a bronze medal.
In April 2004, he won the Japanese nationals for the fifth time. This allowed him to try for an amazing third straight Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. On August 14, 2004, he achieved this incredible goal. He won against Nestor Khergiani of Georgia. This made Nomura the only judoka to win three Olympic gold medals in a row. He was also the first Olympic athlete from Asia to win three consecutive gold medals in any sport. This victory also marked Japan's 100th gold medal in the Summer Olympics.
Retirement from Judo
After his win in 2004, Nomura did not compete for a while. But on January 10, 2006, he announced he wanted to try for a fourth gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He won a tournament in the Czech Republic and his sixth All-Japan Selected judo championships in 2007.
However, in 2008, Nomura did not qualify for the Beijing Olympics. He lost a key match on April 5, which was his last chance to make the team. The next day, he shared that he planned to retire from competitive judo. He had knee surgery on April 25, but it is not known if this injury affected his Olympic qualification.
Nomura later decided to continue his career and aimed for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He did not qualify for those Games. In August 2015, he officially announced his retirement from judo. He explained that his health no longer allowed him to compete at a high level.
See also
- List of judoka
- List of Olympic medalists in judo
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
- List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event
