Yasuhiro Yamashita
 Yasuhiro Yamashita in 2005 |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Japan
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| Men's judo | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1984 Los Angeles | Open |
| World Championships | ||
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1979 Paris | +95 kg |
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1981 Maastricht | +95 kg |
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1981 Maastricht | Open |
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1983 Moscow | +95 kg |
Yasuhiro Yamashita (山下 泰裕 Yamashita Yasuhiro?, born June 1, 1957 in Yamato, Kumamoto) is one of the most successful judo competitors of all time. He currently works as an instructor or advisor for numerous organizations, including Tokai University, the International Judo Federation, and the All Japan Judo Federation. He retired from competitive judo on June 17, 1985 after a remarkable career where he won five gold medals in international competitions and marked 203 consecutive victories (with 7 draws in-between) until his retirement. He received the Japanese National Prize of Honor on October 9, 1984.
Yamashita began judo in primary school after being inspired by judo founder Kanō Jigorō, and had already attained a black belt by the time he reached junior-high school. Yamashita continued judo under the guidance of 1964 Summer Olympics gold medalist Isao Inokuma and 1967 World Judo Championships gold medalist Nobuyuki Sato after graduating from Tokaidai Sagami High School. His streak of 203 victories began in October, 1977, in an exhibition match held in the Soviet Union, and ended with his final match in April, 1985, where he won the All-Japan judo championships for the 9th consecutive time.
Yamashita qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 1976 as a replacement during his freshman year at Tōkai University. At age 19, he became the youngest judoka in history to win the open category of the All-Japan Judo Championships in 1977. He continued his success by winning a gold medal at the 1979 World Judo Championships, and secured a spot on the Japanese Olympic team in a highly publicized draw against 1976 Summer Olympics bronze medalist Sumio Endo. Yamashita went into the final of the 1980 All Japan championships as the favorite, but Endo put Yamashita in a Kani Basami, breaking Yamashita's fibula. The match was declared a draw even though Yamashita was hurt and unable to continue. Kani Basami had been a legal move until the match, but the seriousness of Yamashita's injury caused officials to prohibit its use in international competitions.
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