Naohisa Takato

Few judoka have ruled the lightweight division like Japan’s Naohisa Takato. The Olympic champion and four-time world champion defined the U60kg category for more than a decade with explosive speed and relentless attacking judo.

Takato’s greatest moment came at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where he finally captured Olympic gold in front of a home crowd. It completed a journey that had already included Olympic bronze in Rio 2016 and years of dominance at world level.

Long before that, Takato was already rewriting history. In 2009 he became the first ever male World Cadet Champion, a sign that a rare talent was emerging. Two years later he confirmed his potential by winning the World Junior title in Cape Town in 2011.

His senior breakthrough followed quickly. At the 2013 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro he claimed his first world title, introducing his fast, attacking style to the global stage. More gold medals followed in Budapest 2017, Baku 2018 and Tashkent 2022, giving him four world titles in total and establishing him as one of the greatest 60kg fighters of his era and great Ko-uchi Gari specialist.

Takato’s judo was built on speed and initiative. His sharp seoi-nage attacks and quick foot sweeps constantly forced opponents onto the defensive. Even against the world’s best, he rarely stopped moving forward.

The IJF World Tour also brought remarkable success. Takato won multiple Grand Slam events including five titles in Tokyo and four victories in Paris, two of the most competitive tournaments in the sport. He also claimed gold in Moscow and Düsseldorf and added victories at the prestigious IJF Masters.

Despite his modest size, Takato fought with fearless intensity. His style captured the essence of modern Japanese judo: technical, aggressive and precise.

Olympic champion, quadruple world champion and youth prodigy turned legend, Naohisa Takato leaves a lasting mark on the lightweight division. He retired in 2026.

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