Ads
Russian President Vladimir Putin likes nothing more than to show off his famous judo skills, well, aside from making an unprovoked invasion of an innocent neighboring country.
But few people remember the time a Japanese student tossed him to the ground like a rag doll.
Yes, Putin, the autocrat who likes to present a strong image of athletic superiority, was criticized during a visit to a sports center in Gushikawa, Okinawa, Japan, in 2000.
Old footage from the judo session shows the 69-year-old, still in his shirt and tie, stumbling in front of hundreds of amused onlookers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin fell on a trip to Japan in 2000 (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles
In three separate snapshots, Putin is seen struggling with his opponent, who hilariously picks up the Russian prime minister before throwing him to the ground with a thud.
The images raise questions about Putin’s judo prowess, even though he holds a black belt in the combat sport.
Benjamin Wittes, who holds black belts in taekwondo and aikido, has previously called the man Boris Johnson described earlier this week as a dictator a “fraud” and a “phony.”
Should the UK enact tougher sanctions against Russia? Let us know in the comments section.
The student picked up Putin (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Do you want to be aware of the latest football news?
Then sign up for the Daily Star’s brilliant football email newsletter!
From the latest transfer news to the stories that mark the agenda, receive it all in your email inbox, do not miss a thing.
How do you register?
It only takes a matter of seconds.
Simply enter your email address in the box at the top of this article and click ‘subscribe’.
And that’s it, job done. You will receive an email with all the top news every morning.
You can find more information in our email newsletter at this link here.
“At least in the videos I have seen, there are no attacks committed against Putin, and I see no evidence that his opponents are ever trying to get the best of him,” Wittes wrote in 2017 in Lawfare, an American blog dedicated to national . security issues.
“The videos are demonstrations where he shows off his masculine prowess with them taking what the Japanese call ukemi (defensive falls) for him.”
In a Facebook post titled “Why won’t Vladimir Putin fight me?” Wittes put it more bluntly: “Putin is a fraudulent martial artist. He only fights against the people who are in the power of him, and everyone is falling in love with him ».
And he threw it to the ground (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Wittes suggested that the dark side of Putin’s demonstrations lay in his aggression on the international stage, his crackdown on dissidents and minority groups at home.
It has never felt more true.
Read more related articles Read more related articles
Ads
