Japan Judoka Seto Clinches Paralympic Gold with Perfect Ippon Victory Streak Through Early Match Control

By Yoshinaga Azekawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter

16:16 JST, September 7, 2024

Yujiro Seto, ranked No. 1 in the world and one of Japan’s top gold medal hopes, snatched gold by winning all three of his matches by ippon in the 73-kilogram judo J2 division for visually impaired judokas at the Paris Paralympics.In his final match, Seto faced off against an opponent from Georgia ranked 5th in the world after advancing smoothly through the first and semifinal matches. Just six seconds in, Seto secured a waza-ari with his signature seoi nage shoulder throw. Seto, who has been practicing judo for 20 years, said, “This is the only technique I’ve mastered,” emphasizing his commitment to the move that led him to take control of the match.

Seto was born in Fukuoka Prefecture with congenital visual impairment and started judo at the age of four. In 2017, during his third year of high school, he transitioned from able-bodied judo to para judo. Seto won the bronze medal in the 66-kilogram division at the Tokyo Paralympics, but was left unsatisfied, prompting him to change his training base to further elevate his skills.

Up until the Tokyo Paralympics, all visually impaired athletes in judo competed together, but starting from Paris, they have been divided into “complete blindness” and “vision impairment” categories. The weight classes have also been consolidated into four divisions for men and women. Despite moving up a weight class, Seto retained his speed, and a new champion perfectly suited for the gold medal was born.