As I mentioned in my post about the East Japan Businessmen’s Judo Tournament, Hiroshi Izumi is still competing for his trade team while simultaneously coaching. While he is no longer an elite player, he is still able to go toe-to-toe with elite players. In his only match of the day, he fought Koki Gomi, a former standout at Nihon Sports Science University (Nittaidai) and current member of the 2nd division team, Toshiba Plant Systems. Toshiba Plant Systems is one of the top teams in Japan at the moment with some very good players including former national team member Mizuki Otsu, medalist at the East Asian Games and the Kodokan Cup.
In his prime, Izumi stood out to me because of his incredible balance and ability to change the direction of his opponent. I am glad to see him back in judo rather than pursuing a career in MMA. I always cringe when I see great judoka, who are past their prime try to take on a second athletic career in MMA. It just doesn’t seem to do their talent justice. Izumi was way past his peak form by the time he fought in MMA and I felt awful watching Mousasi beat him up in their Dream match.
Hopefully we will be able to catch him in action again next year. A few years ago Hidehiko Yoshida also competed for his team, Park 24, though he looked really old and slow.
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