Kithsiri determined to see Judokas doing well

JUDO: To see Sri Lanka's Judokas participating successfully in the Asian Games, Olympics and the World Championships is the aim of Kithsiri de Zoysa, 3rd Dan Black Belt Judo Instructor, gold medallist and former president of the Sri Lanka Judo Association.

Kithsiri who left for Japan in 1985 to participate in the international 'B' class referees examination at the Kodakan Judo Institute in Tokyo is back in Sri Lanka.

He has drawn up a program of training for aspiring young judokas here, based on his Japanese experience and says, "I was fortunate to experience a great many things about judo in Japan.

I had the opportunity to meet several great fighters and instructors, including the most famous judoka of all time Yasuhiro Yamashita and Issao Inokuma, and Sensei Sato, the persons responsible for coaching him, who are also Olympic world champions.

Anyone can learn judo, but to be a winner, you must have a fighting spirit and a 'never say die attitude' says Kithsiri.

You may have a fighting spirit, but if you don't combine it with good techniques, you cannot win. I believe that a person who has a good fighting spirit techniques and physical power and who has a desire to win will win in the end.

In judo you will meet many kinds of opponents. A person who fights the same type of contest every day will never be able to develop a winning pattern. So never depend only in your favourite techniques.

The time will surely come when it will not work. Because if you are a good fighter, everyone will study your techniques, so you must always perfect a few techniques other than your favourite Kithsiri has been training regularly since 1985 at the Kanagawa Ken, Budakan in Japan and has also participated in many winter training programmes.

To open new avenues of development in the sport here, he hopes to open new judo centres in many parts of the island. This is the only way to search for new talent.

Kithsiri recalls that his early success in the sport increased his determination and the love for the sport.

He started learning judo at the Central YMCA in 1967. From then on it was a series of successes.

Just six months after commencing judo, as a 5th Kyu white belter he was able to beat a Japanese Black Belter from the ship 'Kagoshima Maru' and became the only judoka to win in the tournament and became the only white belter to win against a black belter anywhere in the world at that time, then the YMCA open championship, then the coveted black belt open championship for eight years, the Japanese Ambassador's Trophy open championship, the 1979 Guinness Record for non-stop judo for 300 hours, a gold medal in the South East Asia Championship in New Delhi in 1982 were highlights among his many other successes.

He says the most valuable thing he learnt in Japan in addition to judo is the word 'gambatte' which means 'Do your best, never give up'.

This is the word that's on the tip of the tongue of every Japanese. This is something I want to give my students and all our fellow Judokas, so that they will bring honour to our country one day.