All eyes were on the tatami though, just before the start of the final block, with the performance of the three-time Olympic champion, Tadahiro Nomura, who presented Koshiki-no-kata, in front of the audience.
Nomura said, "With the goal of achieving my 8th dan, I have begun a deep commitment to my practice of Koshiki-no-kata. After finishing my career as an athlete, I feel a profound sense of joy as a judoka to have found a goal outside of coaching and to continue my journey with the sport. Through this practice, I have gained new discoveries and lessons, feeling my personal growth with each session. As I step onto the tatami at the Tokyo Grand Slam, I am filled with nervous anticipation and am determined to deliver the best performance I am capable of today."
The performance was brilliant and well appreciated by the audience. Earlier in the day, Tadahiro Nomura answered a long interview that will be released by the IJF soon, where he deeply and joyfully analysed his incredible career. On that occasion he declared, "I would have never thought that I would become three time Olympic champion. I started judo when I was 3 years old. At the beginning I really enjoyed it and had so much fun. Later on, I realised that I had the capacity to become a champion.
When I participated in my first Olympic Games, I was a rookie, had no experience, but everything went well. The second time, I had the experience and I was convinced that I could do it again. For the third time, it was more complicated, since I knew what needed to be done, but it was so hard. In the end, I succeeded again, but I had to work harder than ever. My strongest opponent was myself."
Ryoko Tani (née Tamura), 5 times Olympic medallist, including two gold medals, 7 times world champion, is another legend of judo. She also answered a long interview. She said, "I was really small when I was a child. I won a lot but also lost many contests, especially as I had to compete against bigger and taller children and even against boys. But I developed that passion for judo that made me achieve amazing goals. I feel privileged to be part of the sport and to give back what it taught me."
Passion, dedication, enthusiasm, pleasure, but also hard work, those are some of the words that come often when talking to these two legends, Tadahiro Nomura and Ryoko Tani. Before the final block, young children also demonstrated their passion for judo. It is clear that performing here in Tokyo, in front of the public and all their judo heroes, will give them dreams for the years to come.
The second day of competition will begin on Sunday 8th December at 10:30 am local time. Follow all the action on https://judotv.com/