In JJ Voice No. 184, the All Japan Judo Federation speaks with former JR East women’s team athlete Azusa Eiro about an injury before high school, the support that helped her return, and the place judo still holds in her life.
Eiro tore her anterior cruciate ligament during pre-enrolment training before joining Saitama Sakae High School. She recalls encouragement from her coach, Motomatsu, as she rebuilt her way back to competition. She later won a national high-school individual title and placed second at the Kinshuki tournament.
After university, Eiro joined the first intake of the JR East women’s judo club and learned to balance work with competitive training. After retiring, she returned to Miyagi for work. She is now raising four children, with two of them also practising judo. Her story returns to the values she learned on the mat: manners, respect, gratitude and the importance of people who stay beside an athlete through difficult periods.