For the third-year judoka, there is no next time after this. The 57th All-Japan Junior High School Judo Championships, running 18–21 August at CITY ARENA OKAYAMA, is the last mat most of them will step on as a junior-high judoka. They know it. The whole gym knows it.
Three years of early-morning practice, uchikomi done until the arms ache, losses that stung worse than any bruise. It all lands on this one weekend. There is no replay button.
The draw splits it up day by day: women's team on the 18th, men's team on the 19th, then the individual events on the 20th and 21st. One day each. One shot each.
The All Japan Judo Federation runs the event and posts results as they come in, with every match streamed on Zenjuren TV. A family in Hokkaido, a coach in Kyushu, a classmate back home, all watching the same mats in Okayama.
A lot of Olympic and world champions started here, on a junior-high school mat, before anyone knew their name. For this year's third years, Okayama is where they throw everything they have and find out what it is worth.