Judo: judo news in France and around the world /
Article / Wednesday, May 11, 2022 / source: alljudo
Many public figures practice or have practiced judo. Who are they ? How has this sport influenced them? Non-exhaustive list of famous judo people.
They pay homage to the values of judo
Hary Roselmack (journalist – 1st dan black belt): “Judo helped me in my construction. I like the values of this sport. He gave me the spirit of conquest and respect for others […] One of the specificities of judo is that you learn to fall, to fall without hurting yourself too much, and to leave quickly! »
Albert II (Prince of Monaco – 1st dan black belt): “The values of judo, we should be able to find them in all sports and in all of society. Respect for the opponent and the rules, the constant search for improvement and surpassing oneself, are values in which I believe. »
Thierry Marx (Star Chef – 4th dan black belt) often recalls his attachment to judo, particularly in his book “He who does not fight has already lost“.
“It was in judo that I accepted the challenges of my life. It was a framework of humility and work with the energy it takes to start again. »
“Judo serves me in business, in business. When you are a manager, you have difficult decisions to make, but you can decide without being an executioner. And these are great values that you can learn in judo” .
Thomas Pesquet (French astronaut – 1st dan black belt):
“In space as on the tatami mats, judo is more than a sport, it’s a real school of life”.
show biz stars
Laetitia Casta (actress/model – brown belt): “I didn’t study the holds, unlike my brother. I was scared in my stomach before the fights. I became as surly as a rooster. The violence of the girls was mind-blowing, but I brought back medals.”
Alexandre Devoise (radio and television presenter, 2nd dan): “I have never felt such a great feeling more than when I got my black belt in judo!”
The famous American actor and karateka Chuck Norris is also a brown judo belt. We see him in his films performing projection techniques.
Ryan Higa, is a famous youtuber who has more than 21 million subscribers and 2.9 billion views on his channel. He practices judo in Hawaii, where he obtains excellent results. He is a black belt.
We can also mention the director Guy Ritchie who is a black belt, and who regularly practices judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the singer of the group Duran-Duran, Simon LeBonor the actor Vincent Lindon.
Politics
Theodore Roosevelt (President of the United States from 1901 to 1909) is the first head of state in the world to learn judo, and he obtains his brown belt. Roosevelt is described as a lively judoka who trains three times a week under the guidance of Yamashita Yoshiakithe pioneer of judo in the USA.
Pierre Trudeau (former Prime Minister of Canada) is a 2nd dan black belt and trains at the Takahashi School of Martial Arts in Ottawa.
You can also quote Robert Hue (former president of the French Communist Party)the former president Nicolas Sarkozy or the dictator Vladimir Poutine.
Rugby players
At the end of his career, Fabien Pelous started practicing judo and became a black belt in just 3 years.
Thierry Dusautoir began his sporting career in judo before branching out to rugby. He reached the brown belt at the Trélissac club, near Périgueux, in the Dordogne. It was in this sport that he had his first sporting dreams: “I wasn’t too interested in rugby when I was a child. I rather dreamed of being an Olympic judo champion. »
The oldest remember the pillar Robert Papambordwho was French junior judo champion in 1964.
The qualities necessary for the practice of these two sports have many similarities, on the other hand judo remains a sport less publicized, and little concerned by the sport bets.
A famous painter
Yves Klein (French artist, 1928-1962) is a 4th dan black belt and teacher. He publishes thee book The Foundations of Judo in 1954. Judo also strongly influenced his art and his philosophy. Known in particular for his blue monochrome, he gave his name to the famous “Klein blue” which France Judo has made the main color of its new graphic charter, thus paying homage to one of its most famous practitioners.
