[Judo]Maki Tsukada, winner of the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, is appointed as the coach of Japan’s women’s national team, making her the first female coach in history. Suzuki continues as the coach for the men’s team – Sponichi Sponichi Annex Sports

The All Japan Judo Federation held a board of directors meeting on the 9th, and unanimously approved the appointment of Keiji Suzuki (44) for the men’s team and Maki Tsukada (42) for the women’s team as coaches of the Japan national team. His term is four years, until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Suzuki is in her second term following a three-year term leading up to this summer’s Paris Olympics, and Tsukada is the first to be appointed, making her the first female coach for Japan’s judo national team.

Tsukada, a native of Ibaraki Prefecture, won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She became the first Japanese woman to win the heaviest weight class title, and after retiring 10 years ago, she served as the coach of Tokyo Women’s National University and her alma mater, Tokai University. The Japanese women’s national team has been required to appoint a female leader since 2013, when the issue of violent coaching by the then-coach was revealed, and she will be entrusted with rebuilding the national team, which won only two medals at the Paris Olympics. Ta.

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