The national team of Turkmenistan in judo was headed by a Japanese specialist, champion of Asia-1995 and Asian Games-1998 Kazuhiko Tokuno. For two years, as the head coach of the national team, he will train Turkmen judokas for world championships and other major international competitions, the Golden Age electronic newspaper reports.
Kazuhiko Tokuno, who turned 49 on May 1, as an athlete competed in the weight category up to 60 kg and very successfully. In 1995, he became the 1995 Asian champion in New Delhi, and in 1998, the winner of the XIII Summer Asian Games in 1998 in Bangkok. At the world championships, he won medals twice: in 1999 in Birmingham - silver, and in 2001 in Munich - bronze.
At the end of his career as an athlete, Kazuhiko Tokuno led the Japanese women's teams of all ages as a coach for many years, as well as the Komatsu club team. In 2011, the International Judo Federation (IJF) recognized him as the best coach among women's team mentors. Trained a number of medalists of world championships, Olympic Games, World Universiades, Asian Championships, Asian Games and other major international tournaments. Among his famous students are the 2011 World Champion in Tokyo and the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, the silver medalist of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Mika Sugimota (weight category over 78 kg), the two-time world champion in 2010 and 2011 in Tokyo and Paris, the winner 2009 Summer Universiade in Belgrade, 2015 Asian champion in Kuwait Haruna Asami (up to 48 kg), 2014 world champion in Chelyabinsk Nae Udaka (up to 57 kg), 2018 world champion in Baku, bronze medalist of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo Tsukasa Yoshida (up to 57 kg) and many other judokas.
Kazuhiko Tokuno is the owner of the seventh dan Kodokan judo.
According to the Judo Federation of Turkmenistan, the Japanese specialist was tasked with helping Turkmen judokas achieve even greater success at major tournaments held under the auspices of the IJF and win licenses to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
