Anton Geesink, Medalist Who Helped Popularize Judo,

Dies at 76
By RICHARD GOLDSTEINAUG. 31, 2010

Anton Geesink, a 6-foot-6 Dutchman who stunned Japan when he defeated Japanese
opponents to win the 1961 world judo championship and capture a gold medal at the
1964 Tokyo Games, died Friday in Utrecht, the Netherlands. He was 76.

His death, at a hospital, was announced by the International Judo Federation.

In the 1961 world championships in Paris, Geesink, the European champion, defeated
Koji Sone of Japan, the defending title holder.

That triumph, at the third judo world championship — Japanese athletes had won both
previous titles — was a blow to Japan, where judo was developed as a form of self-
defense in the 19th century.

“Japan took it as a reflection on the national honor when the world championship was
won by a huge Hollander,” Robert Trumbull, the chief of The New York Times’s
Tokyo bureau, wrote three years later, when Geesink was preparing to compete in
Tokyo at the first Olympic Games to be held in Asia.

At Japan’s behest, the 1964 Summer Games, formally opened by Emperor Hirohito,
included judo as an Olympic sport for the first time. Nearly half a million Japanese
men and 420 women had been formally graded for varying degrees of expertise in
judo at the time. So it was no surprise when the Japanese won gold medals in judo’s
lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight divisions.

But Geesink, listed at 270 pounds, captured the prestigious open, or unlimited weight,
class judo match, taking Japan’s Akio Kaminaga, 50 pounds lighter, to the mat a little
more than nine minutes into their encounter. That Olympic gold automatically gave
Geesink a second world championship as well, and was another blow to Japan’s self-
image.

“Judo was not just a national sport, it symbolized the Japanese way — spiritual,
disciplined, infinitely subtle; a way in which crude Western brawn would inevitably
lose to superior Oriental spirit,” the British journalist Ian Buruma wrote in an article
he later included in “The Missionary and the Libertine” (Random House, 2000), his
book of reflections on the way the East and the West see each other.

“And here, in Tokyo, “a big, blond foreigner had humiliated Japan in front of the
entire world,” Mr. Buruma pointed out. “It was as though the ancestral Sun Goddess
had been raped in public by a gang of alien demons.”

Photo
Anton Geesink holds the judo gold medal that he won in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Credit Associated Press

Jim Bregman, who won a bronze medal as a member of the United States judo team at
the Tokyo Games, told The Los Angeles Times that the entire Japanese judo team
wept in its locker room after Geesink’s victory.

But Bregman said the Japanese had no cause to feel disgraced. He described Geesink
as “a technical genius, very powerful, very fast judo player of consummate skill in a
very large frame.”

Antonius Johannes Geesink was born in Utrecht on April 6, 1934. He won the first of
his 21 European championships in 1952. He captured a third world championship in
1965, in Rio de Janeiro, and retired two years later.

Geesink wrestled professionally in Japan in the 1970s. But he devoted most of his
efforts to teaching and popularizing judo.

He was the education director of the International Judo Federation in the late 1980s
and was awarded Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1997 for his contributions
to judo.

Geesink was elected to the International Olympic Committee in 1987 and remained a
member until his death. He was among 13 members investigated by the committee in
connection with a vote-buying scandal arising from the Salt Lake bid committee’s
ultimately successful campaign to have the I.O.C. award it the 2002 Games.

The I.O.C. issued a warning to Geesink to avoid appearances of a conflict of interest

as a result of an unsolicited $5,000 check to a foundation bearing Geesink’s name
drawn from the personal account of Thomas K. Welch, who had been president of the
Salt Lake bid committee.

Geesink is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

At a gathering of judo students at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan in 1972,
Geesink’s supreme confidence shone through. When a student suggested it wasn’t
always possible to grip an opponent in an ideal hold, Geesink bristled.

“You only become champion,” he said, “if you tell yourself: ‘This man is nothing for
me. I grip you the way I want.’ ”

Anton Geesink
 Country:Netherlands
 Born:6 April 1934
 Passed away:27 August 2010 (76 years)

Judoka Anton Geesink was one of the most legenardy judoka every in history. He
won the first Olympic title in 1964 as non Japanese fighter. Triple World Champion
1961-1965 and an amazing record of 21 European titles. IOC member, Hall of famer
of the IJF and 10th Dan. Geesink passed away in 2010.
 Judo career

 Judo results
75
 Head to head
17
 Medals per city
26
 Judo photos
10
 Judo videos
23
 Judo news
1

Competitions - Medal overview B S G

 Olympic Games

001
 World Championships

102
 Continental Championships
 2221
 European Team Championships

273
 European Club Championships

273
 National Championships Seniors

0017

Anton Geesink
Dutch judoka
Written by: The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica
Alternative title: Antonius Johannes Geesink
Anton Geesink
Dutch judoka

Also known as
 Antonius Johannes Geesink

born

April 6, 1934

Utrecht, Netherlands

died

August 27, 2010

 Utrecht, Netherlands

Anton Geesink, (born April 6, 1934, Utrecht, Neth.—died Aug. 27, 2010, Utrecht)
Dutch athlete who was the first non-Japanese competitor to win a world championship
in judo.

Standing 6 feet 6 inches and weighing 267 pounds, Geesink made his mark in the
Japanese-dominated sport of judo when he won the 1961 world championship. He
was a two-time world champion by the start of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.

At the 1964 Games, Geesink competed in the open division, which was eliminated
from Olympic competition following the 1984 Olympics. In his Olympic semifinal
match against Theodore Boronovskis of Australia, Geesink won in just 12 seconds. In
the finals, Geesink faced Akio Kaminaga of Japan, a favourite of the Tokyo crowd.
Geesink put his opponent in a sash hold (kesa-gatame) to win the gold. Even more
than the two world championships, Geesink’s Olympic title had a major impact on
international judo.

Geesink won his third world title in 1965 before retiring. In all, he won 13 European
titles. He authored several books on judo and served on the International Olympic
Committee.

Anton Geesink
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anton Geesink

Anton Geesink in 1962

Personal information
Full name Antonius Johannes Geesink
April 6, 1934
Born
Utrecht, Netherlands
August 27, 2010 (aged 76)[1]
Died
Netherlands
 Height 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight 120 kg (260 lb)
Sport
Sport Judo
Division(s) no bodyweight limit
Medal record[hide]
Men's Judo
Representing the Netherlands
Olympic Games
1964 Tokyo Open
World Championships
1961 Paris Open
1956 Tokyo Open
1965 Rio de Janeiro +80 kg
European Championships
1962 Essen +80 kg
1962 Essen Open class
1963 Geneva +80 kg
1963 Geneva Open class
1964 Berlin +80 kg
1964 Berlin Open class
1965 Madrid +93 kg
1965 Madrid Open class
1967 Rome Open class
Updated on February 11, 2014.

Antonius Johannes "Anton" Geesink (April 6, 1934 – August 27, 2010)[1] was a
Dutch 10th-dan judoka from Utrecht. He was a two-time World Judo Champion
(1961 and 1965), Olympic Gold Medalist (1964) and won 21 European
championships.

Contents
 1 Judo career
 2 Professional wrestling career
 3 International Olympic Committee work
 4 Honors
 5 Books published
 6 References
 7 External links
Judo career

Anton Geesink (1956)

Geesink first participated in the European Championships in 1951, and placed second
in his category. The following year, he won his first European title. Through to 1967,
twenty more European titles followed.

At the 1956 World Championships, Geesink was eliminated in the semi-finals against
Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu.[2] At the 1961 World Championships, Geesink, then 5th dan,[3]
became World Champion in the open class, defeating the Japanese champion Koji
Sone. Japanese judokas had won all the World Championship titles contested up to
that point.

Geesink at the medal ceremony of 1964 Summer Olympics

Judo debuted as an official sport at the 1964 Summer Olympics, which were held in
the sport's home country, Japan. Although Japan dominated three of the four weight
divisions (light, middle and heavy), Anton Geesink won the final of the open weight
division, defeating Akio Kaminaga in front of his home crowd.[4][5]

After winning the 1965 World Championships and a last European title in 1967,
Geesink quit competitive judo.

Anton Geesink was one of the few 10th Dan grade judoka (jūdan) recognized by the
IJF but not by Kodokan at that rank. Promotions from 6th to 10th Dan are awarded for
services to the sport of judo. In 2010 there are three living 10th dan grade judoka
(jūdan) recognized by Kodokan: Toshiro Daigo, Ichiro Abe and Yoshimi Osawa. The
Kodokan has not awarded the 10th Dan to anybody outside Japan.

Professional wrestling career

Bust statue of Geesink

In October 1973, All Japan Pro Wrestling owner Giant Baba recruited Anton Geesink
to join AJPW. Baba sent him to Amarillo, TX and Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk
trained him for a month. He worked for All Japan from 1973 to 1978, as a popular
part-timer.

Geesink's notable professional wrestling opponents included Bruno Sammartino,

Gorilla Monsoon, Dick Murdoch, Dory Funk Jr., Bobby Duncum, Bob Remus (Sgt.
Slaughter), and Jumbo Tsuruta.

International Olympic Committee work

In 1987, he became a member of the board of the Dutch National Olympic

Committee, and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Geesink was among the IOC members suspected of accepting bribes during the
scandal surrounding the election of Salt Lake City as the host of the 2002 Winter
Olympics. Geesink's name was cleared by the IOC which nevertheless issued him a
warning for the appearance of a conflict of interest which could have damaged the
reputation of the IOC.

Honors

Geesink was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese government
in 1997.[6][7]
His home town of Utrecht has a street named after him — which is the street he lived
on for some time up until his death in August 2010.

On January 29, 2000, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Kokushikan

University, a Japanese university known for its sport education and of which four
alumni are Olympic gold medalists in judo, with the following praise:[8]

ヘーシンク氏は、一九六四年東京オリンピックにおいて、柔道無差別級で外
国人選手として初めて金メダルを獲得し、その後、武道精神をもって国際平
和 に貢献するとともにオランダ・日本両国民の文化交流・友好関係の促進に
努め、また柔道を教育学や生体学的角度から研究し、その普及発展のために
尽力され た。 武道の精神を重視する本大学は、柔道の国際的普及における同
氏の功績を讃え、国士舘大学名誉博士の学位を贈呈した。

At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Mr. Geesink won the gold medal in the open class as
the first non-Japanese. Since then, with the spirit of budō, he has contributed to the
international peace and promoted the cultural exchange and friendship between the
people of the Netherlands and of Japan. Furthermore, he explored judo in light of
education and somatology and has been devoted to its diffusion and development. To
honor his contribution to the worldwide diffusion of judo, this university, as a body
which prizes the spirit of budō, awarded him an honorary doctorate of Kokushikan
University.

Books published
 "Judo: based on social aspects and biomechanical principles, divided in two
parts: judo as an Olympic sport, traditional judo", Kokushikan University
Publishing, 2000

References
1. Nederland – Oud-judokampioen Anton Geesink overleden. Elsevier.nl
(2010-08-27). Retrieved on 2012-08-14.
2. Black Belt Vol. 2, No. 2. Active Interest Media, Inc. March 1964. p. 27.
3. Black Belt Vol. 1, No. 3. Active Interest Media, Inc. April 1962. pp. 7,
64.
4. Masao Takahashi (2005). Mastering Judo. Human Kinetics. p. 7.
ISBN 073605099X.
5. Anton Geesink. sports-reference.com
6. L'Harmattan web site (in French), Order with gold rays
7. Goldstein, Richard (August 31, 2010). "Anton Geesink, Medalist Who
Helped Popularize Judo, Dies at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-
12-13.
8. Public Relation Section of Kokushikan University (2000-02-27), "アン
トニウス・J・ヘーシンク氏に名誉博士の学位を贈呈 (The Awarding of
an Honorary Doctrate to Mr. Antonius J. Geesink)" (PDF), 国士舘大学新聞
(Kokushikan University Newspaper) (in Japanese) 421, retrieved 2012-03-28

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anton Geesink.
  Videos of Anton Geesink (judovision.org)
 Anton Geesink at JudoInside.com
 Online access to the inventory of the archives of Geesink (The Utrecht
Archives)

Awards

Preceded by Dutch Sportsman of the Year Succeeded by

Klaas Boot 1957 Gerrit Schulte

Succeeded by
Preceded by Dutch Sportsman of the Year
Ard Schenk / Kees
Peter Post 1964–1965
Verkerk

Olympic Games

Preceded by
Flagbearer for Netherlands Succeeded by
Jan Willem van Erven
Tokyo 1964 Fred van Dorp
Dorens

[hide]
 v
 t
 e

Olympic Champions in Judo Open category Men

no bodyweight limit
 1964: Anton Geesink
 1972: Wim Ruska
 1976: Haruki Uemura
 1980: Dietmar Lorenz

 1984: Yasuhiro Yamashita

 WorldCat Identities
 VIAF: 32514535
 LCCN: n50018253
 ISNI: 0000 0000 8112 0848
Authority
 GND: 138640629
control
 SUDOC: 133983617
 BNF: cb114713057 (data)

 NKC: xx0064400