Anton Geesink
| Anton Geesink | |
|---|---|
 Anton Geesink in 1961 |
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| Born | Antonius Johannes Geesink April 6, 1934 Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Died | August 27, 2010 (aged 76) [1] Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Style | Judo |
| Rank | jūdan (10th dan – recognised by the IJF, but not formally by the Kodokan) |
| Medal record | ||
 Anton Geesink |
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| Men's judo | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for the  Netherlands |
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| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1964 Tokyo | Open |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 1961 Paris | Open |
| Gold | 1965 Rio de Janeiro | +80 kg |
| Bronze | 1956 Tokyo | Open |
Antonius "Anton" Johannes Geesink (April 6, 1934 – August 27, 2010) [2] was a Dutch 10th-dan judoka from Utrecht. He was a three-time World Judo Champion (1961, 1964 and 1965), Olympic Gold Medalist (1964) and won 21 European championships. He was 6'6" (1.98m) tall and at one time weighed 320 pounds (145 kg).
Contents |
[edit] Judo career
Geesink first participated in the European Championships in 1951, and placed second in his category. The following year, he won his first European title. Through to 1967, twenty more European titles followed.
At the 1956 World Championships, Geesink was eliminated in the semi-finals against Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu.[3] At the 1961 World Championships, Geesink, then 5th dan,[4] became World Champion in the open class, defeating the Japanese champion Koji Sone. Japanese judokas had won all the World Championship titles contested up to that point.
Judo debuted as an official sport at the 1964 Summer Olympics, which were held in the sport's home country, Japan. Although Japan dominated three of the four weight divisions (light, middle and heavy), Anton Geesink won the final of the open weight division, defeating Akio Kaminaga in front of his home crowd.[5]
After winning the 1965 World Championships and a last European title in 1967, Geesink quit competitive judo.
Anton Geesink was one of the few living 10th Dan grade judoka (jūdan) recognized by the IJF (but not by Kodokan). Promotions from 6th to 10th Dan are awarded for services to the sport of judo. In 2010 there are three living 10th dan grade judoka (jūdan) recognized by Kodokan: Toshiro Daigo, Ichiro Abe and Yoshimi Osawa. The Kodokan has not awarded the 10th Dan to anybody outside of Japan.
[edit] Professional wrestling career
In October 1973, All Japan Pro Wrestling owner Giant Baba recruited Anton Geesink to join AJPW. Baba sent him to Amarillo, TX and Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk trained him for a month. He worked for All Japan from 1973 to 1978, as a popular part-timer.
Geesink's notable professional wrestling opponents included Bruno Sammartino, Gorilla Monsoon, Dick Murdoch, Dory Funk Jr., Bobby Duncum, Bob Remus (Sgt. Slaughter), and Jumbo Tsuruta.
[edit] International Olympic Committee work
In 1987, he became a member of the board of the Dutch National Olympic Committee, and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Geesink was among the IOC members suspected of accepting bribes during the scandal surrounding the election of Salt Lake City as the host of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Geesink's name was cleared by the IOC which nevertheless issued him a warning for the appearance of a conflict of interest which could have damaged the reputation of the IOC.
[edit] Honors
- Geesink was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese government in 1997.[6][7]
His home town of Utrecht has a street named after him — which is the street he lived on for some time up until his death in August 2010.
- Geesink was awarded honorary Ph.D from Kokushikan University in Japan.[citation needed]
[edit] Death
In the television show 'Voetbal International' his death was announced by Johan Derksen. Anton's son called him half an hour before the live broadcast of the television show. Anton spent around 3 weeks in intensive care before he died.
[edit] Books published
- "Judo: based on social aspects and biomechanical principles, divided in two parts: judo as an Olympic sport, traditional judo", Kokushikan University Publishing, 2000
[edit] External links
- Videos of Anton Geesink (judovision.org)
- Factfile of Anton Geesink at JudoInside.com
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Nederland/274346/Oudjudokampioen-Anton-Geesink-overleden.htm
- ^ Elsevier
- ^ Black Belt Vol. 2, No. 2. Active Interest Media, Inc.. Mar 1964. p. 27. http://books.google.com/books?id=QdkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA27&dq=Sone+Kaminaga+black+belt&hl=en&ei=KiPYTaaGFZHn-gaNgqWeDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ Black Belt Vol. 1, No. 3. Active Interest Media, Inc.. Apr 1962. p. 7, 64. http://books.google.com/books?id=iNkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA7&dq=%22Dethrones+Japan%27s+Koji+Sone%22&hl=en&ei=-mekTvn9FIXHsgaSv9j1Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Dethrones%20Japan%27s%20Koji%20Sone%22&f=false.
- ^ Mastering Judo. Human Kinetics. 2005. p. 7. http://books.google.com/books?id=qZrXwJCXOuEC&pg=PA7&dq=%22except+the+open+division%22&hl=en&ei=knGkTs_EJ6iM4gT5mIDbAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22except%20the%20open%20division%22&f=false.
- ^ L'Harmattan web site (in French), Order with gold rays
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (August 31, 2010). "Anton Geesink, Medalist Who Helped Popularize Judo, Dies at 76". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/sports/global/01geesink.html. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Klaas Boot |
Dutch Sportsman of the Year 1957 |
Succeeded by Gerrit Schulte |
| Preceded by Peter Post |
Dutch Sportsman of the Year 1964 to 1965 |
Succeeded by Ard Schenk / Kees Verkerk |
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