Legends of Judo: How Anton Geesink changed the sport forever

It was the moment that changed judo forever.

For so long the sport was the preserve of Japan, but Dutchman Anton Geesink broke the stranglehold by becoming the first non-Japanese judoka to win the World Championship in 1961.

The sport was invented in Japan in the 1880s and its judokas were pre-eminent.

When the first World Championships were staged in Tokyo in 1956, Japan’s Shokichi Natsui upheld his country’s honor.

At the second world event back in Tokyo in 1958, Koji Sone added Japan’s second title.

READ: Legends of Judo – Driulis González Morales

But at the next World Championships three years later, Geesink struck.

Anton Geesink won gold at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.

He had won bronze in 1956, but defeated Sone in the open class in Paris to shock the sport and open it up to the world.

Geesink followed up this feat by bagging gold on judo’s Olympic debut at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. He beat Akio Kaminaga in front of his home crowd to cement his status as one of the best judokas of his generation.

He triumphed again, this time in the heavy class, at the fourth worlds in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1965. He was still the only non-Japanese gold medalist in any of the weight categories at world or Olympic level.

READ: Legends of Judo – Teddy Riner

READ: Legends of Judo – Ryoko Tani, the greatest female judoka ever?

The first judo school dates back to 1882 in Tokyo. Traditionally a Japanese practice, it has gradually spread across the planet and established itself as one of the world's most popular combat sports.

Literally meaning "gentle way," judo techniques harness an opponent's force to your own advantage by throwing and pinning them to the ground.

Judo was first seen at the Olympics in Tokyo in 1964, and a women's competition was added at the Barcelona Games in 1992.

No judoka has more world championships gold medals than Teddy Riner. In September 2017, the legendary Frenchman won his ninth title, before hitting double figures at an open weight competition in Marrakech.

"It is a sport that demands an irreproachable lifestyle," Riner tells CNN, "a sport that demands rigor."

On the women's side, Ryoko Tani's record stands out. The Japanese Judoka has seven world titles, and upon her retirement was hailed as the "best female judoka ever."

Majlinda Kelmendi tears up after being crowned Kosovo's first ever gold medalist at the Rio Olympics in the women's 52 kg weight category.

At 218 kilos, judoka Ricardo Blas Jr. (seen here on the right competing at London 2012) is the world's heaviest Olympian.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a judo master, denoted by wearing a black belt.

World Judo Championships: An introduction to the 'gentle way'

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Geesink retired from competitive judo in 1967 following the last of multiple European titles.

He has a street named after him in his hometown of Utrecht, Netherlands and was honored by the Japanese government for his achievements in judo in 1997.

Where does Anton Geesink rank among judo’s greats? Have your say on CNN Sport’s Facebook page

Geesink died aged 76 in August 2010 but remains a legend in the sport of judo.