The end of an era: Sagi Muki steps off the tatami

On Monday 16 February, Sagi Muki stood in front of the press and did something few elite athletes find easy. He said enough.

After 29 years on the tatami, Israel’s former world champion has officially announced his retirement from competitive judo. Not forced. Not pushed. Not because he could not continue. But because he chose to.

Muki leaves as one of Israel’s most successful judoka. His defining moment came in 2019 in Tokyo, when he became the first Israeli male world champion. It was not just a medal. It was a breakthrough for a nation. He opened that season by winning the Grand Prix in Tel Aviv and rode that momentum all the way to world gold.

He was already European champion in 2018, also in Tel Aviv. He finished fifth at the Rio Olympic Games and later added Olympic bronze in the Mixed Teams event. Individually, Olympic gold eluded him. Paris 2024 became his final tournament.

At the 2024 European Championships in Zagreb he finished fifth. The World Championships in Abu Dhabi that year did not bring the success he had hoped for. Paris marked the end of the road.

But for Muki, this decision is not about results: “A whole life around one dream, to be the best in the world,” he said. “Wins, losses, injuries, moments of happiness and moments of pain. I had to represent Israel to hear and feel that an entire nation stood behind me. But over the years I understood something important. To be world champion you must give your whole life. And today I also have another life. Family, children, home. Small moments that do not come back and that I do not want to miss.”

The sode master

Technically, Muki was one of the most recognisable fighters of his generation. A student of Olympic medallist and coach Oren Smadga, Muki became synonymous with sode-tsurikomi-goshi. Unlike his coach, who preferred a one-handed version, Muki developed multiple variations. High grip, double sleeve, explosive entry. He could launch it from angles that looked impossible.

He was never a one-trick player, but when the sode landed, the arena felt it.

His medal list is long. Two European titles. Seven IJF World Tour gold medals. Bronze at the IJF Masters in Doha in 2021. Grand Slam gold in Tel Aviv in 2023. Grand Prix gold in Zagreb the same year. Bronze at the Tbilisi Grand Slam in 2024.

He was part of the generation that elevated Israeli judo from respected to feared.

The rivalry that never happened

Muki’s friendship with former world champion Saeid Mollaei often made headlines. Mollaei’s complicated journey from Iran to Mongolia and later Azerbaijan gave their relationship symbolic weight. A long-awaited showdown between the two was often discussed. It never materialised on the biggest stage. Sometimes sport does not give you every script you expect.

A complete man

Muki made it clear that this is not about fading away. “Today I end my competitive career,” he said.
“Not because I cannot. Because I am complete and it is time to move on. Judo shaped me as a person before it shaped me as an athlete. Everything I learned from it I will carry for the rest of my life. Thank you to everyone who was part of the journey. It is not the end, just a new chapter.”

That line says everything. He leaves as Israel’s first male world champion. As a European champion. As an Olympic medallist. But perhaps more importantly, he leaves on his own terms.

For 29 years, judo was the centre. Now, it becomes the foundation. Sagi Muki bows out.

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