For many judo fans, Naori Hamada's victory over Madeleine Malonga in the women's -78 kg final at the Tokyo Olympics is remembered as a gold-medal moment. For Hitomi Ikeda, it was also the release of nine years of shared memory.
In the latest edition of JJ Voice, published by the All Japan Judo Federation's Women's Judo Promotion Committee, Ikeda reflects on the journey that took her from being a former athlete in the same weight category to becoming Hamada's training partner, coach and supporter on the road to Olympic gold.
Ikeda, born in Okinawa in 1985, won the women's -78 kg division at the 2011 All-Japan Selected Weight Category Championships and later placed seventh at the 2011 Paris World Championships. She then moved into coaching, serving as a coach at the Japan Self-Defense Forces Physical Training School from 2012 to 2024, and also working as an All-Japan junior coach from 2012 to 2021 and as an All-Japan senior coach from 2021 to 2024.
She explains that Hamada entered the Self-Defense Forces programme just as Ikeda was moving from athlete to coach. Because both were -78 kg judoka, Ikeda naturally became one of Hamada's regular training partners. In the interview, Ikeda describes Hamada's practice style as so committed and unpredictable that even training with her felt like being in a real contest.
On 29 July 2021, Ikeda entered the Tokyo Olympic venue as Hamada's training partner. Because the Games were held without spectators, she watched from the quiet Budokan as Hamada advanced through the day. When Hamada finally controlled Malonga on the ground to secure Olympic gold, Ikeda said that nine years of memories rushed through her mind at once, and she cried.
To the public, Olympic gold is often remembered as a single final. In Ikeda's telling, it was the culmination of years of work, shared effort and trust built in daily training.
After serving 17 years at the Self-Defense Forces Physical Training School, Ikeda retired and returned to her home in Okinawa, where she now teaches and serves as head coach of the women's judo team at Okinawa Shogaku High School. She says that ever since leaving Okinawa at the age of 15, one of her goals had been to come home and become a teacher. Her hope now is that students will enjoy judo, continue for as long as possible, and receive enough from the sport to pass something valuable on to the next generation.
Ikeda's own words reach further than one medal. She has spoken of wanting to pass on what she received from the coaches she met, and of hoping that a hundred years from now there will be more women in judo than there are today.
