Robert Tanaka to be the first USA Judo athlete to take the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic tatami

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games competition in the sport of Judo will get underway at the historic Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, August 27, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. Tokyo Japan Time (7:30 p.m. on August 26th Mountain Daylight Time) with competition in the men’s -60kg and -66kg divisions; as well as, the women’s -48kg and -52kg divisions.

Robert Tanaka (Denver, Colo./Los Angeles, Calif./ Ju Shin Kan, Denver Judo and Sawtelle Judo /University of Southern California) will get things started for USA Judo in fourth match on mat #2 at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as the sole representative competing on day one when he faces Viktor Rudenko of the Russian Paralympic Committee. With victories Tanaka will continue to advance through the bracket with all competition taking place in one day. The first session of the day scheduled from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (local time in Tokyo, Japna) will see competition from elimination through repechage stages. The medal round is scheduled from 4:00 p.m. – 6:40 p.m. local time in Tokyo, Japan. For USA viewers please check the latest schedule on NBCOlympics.com for streaming and viewing options for each match.

Joining Tanaka on the U.S. Paralympic Team are Maria Liana Mutia (Chicago, Ill./Colorado Springs, Colo./Tohkon, El Toro Judo and Black Ice Judo/Colorado State University) who will compete in the women’s -63kg division on Saturday, August 28, Katie Davis (2012 U.S. Paralympian, Sacramento, Calif./over 70kg female) and 2016 U.S. Paralympian Ben Goodrich (St. Paul, Minn./Colorado Springs, Colo./CSOPTC Judo Club/University of Minnesota/under 100kg male). Davis and Goodrich will both compete on Sunday, August 29th, the final day of visually impaired judo at the Tokyo 2020ne Paralympic Games. The team is coached by Heidi Moore and her husband Stephen Scott Moore a three-time Paralympic medalist ((2000 Gold, 1996 Bronze and 2004 Bronze) whom together run the Denver Judo Club in Denver, Colo. USA Judo member Marc Vink (Riverton, N.J.) is also in Tokyo serving as Team Leader.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic visually impaired judo tournament will take place August 27-29, 2021 in the historic Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, the host venue of the first ever Olympic Judo competition in 1964 and most recently the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games competition in July. (Judo Paralympic Schedule)

For more information, please contact Cecil Bleiker, USA Judo Communications Specialist at +1-719-330-2062. This press release is also available on the USA Judo website at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Judo.