The representative athletes attended a press conference for the judo world championships to be held in May, and Hifumi Abe, a gold medalist in the men's 66-kilogram class at the Tokyo Olympics, said, "I want to beat myself and win the championship." .
The Judo World Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar from May 7th.
Each of the representative athletes is heading to a training camp, and on the 10th, athletes in each of the seven weight classes for men and women held a press conference at the National Training Center in Kita-ku, Tokyo.
Among them, Abe, who won the gold medal in the men's 66-kg class at the Tokyo Olympics, will win the world championship for the second time in a row, following last year.
Abe enthusiastically said, "I think my biggest enemy is myself, so I want to defeat myself and win the championship. I want to show judo that makes anyone think, 'Hifumi Abe is strong.'"
In addition, Joshiro Maruyama, who competes in the same class, lost to Abe in the final at the World Championships last year, and will also participate with Abe this year.
Maruyama said, “I think the possibility of a direct confrontation is very high.
Uta Abe, a gold medalist in the women's 52-kilogram class at the Tokyo Olympics, said, "It's a world championship where I'm going to win four straight titles, so I want to do my best to win. While athletes around the world are studying it, I myself I want you to see how much judo you can do and how much you can take on new challenges."
Men's Coach Suzuki "Prepare until the end so that nothing is left unfinished"
Coach Keiji Suzuki of the Japan Men's Judo National Team said, "Since the last World Championships, we have been preparing to demonstrate our strengths in a short period of time. I want to."
Women's Manager Masuichi "If you show your strength firmly, you can get a gold medal"
Katsuyuki Masuchi, head coach of the women's national team, said, "The level of the athletes from each country has risen, and it's not an easy tournament to win, but I think we can win the gold medal if we show our strength. I'll be in good shape in the remaining two months. I want you to do your best," he said.