Kevin Yoshimi Asano (born April 20, 1963) is a retired judoka from the United States, who won the silver medal in the men's extra-lightweight competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics. On his way to capturing the medal he beat Shinji Hosokawa, who was the reigning world champion and 1984 Gold Medalist. Asano came close to winning the gold medal, but lost it on a one-point penalty to Kim Jae-Yup of South Korea.

Kevin Asano
Personal information
Full nameKevin Yoshimi Asano
BornApril 20, 1963 (1963-04-20) (age 61)
Hawaii, U.S.
OccupationJudoka
Websitekevinasano.com Edit this at Wikidata
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportJudo
Weight class‍–‍60 kg
Achievements and titles
Olympic GamesSilver (1988)
World Champ.Bronze (1987)
Pan American Champ. (1984)
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul ‍–‍60 kg
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Essen ‍–‍60 kg
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1987 Indianapolis ‍–‍60 kg
Pan American Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Mexico CIty ‍–‍60 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF53658
JudoInside.com5995
Updated on June 6, 2023

Personal life

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Asano was born in Hawaii.[1] He graduated from Pearl City High School in Hawaii in 1981, studied Japanese and trained in judo at Tokai University for two years, then went on to study at San José State University where he graduated in 1989 in accounting. In 2008, Kevin Asano's autobiography, Step Onto the Mat: Journey to True Success, was published by White Mountain Castle Publishing. He co-founded Pacific Rim Legacy Group, a financial planning organization and Personal Transformation International, a 501(c)3 organization. He has served as President of Hawaii Judo, Inc., the state judo governing body of USA Judo and President of the United States Judo Federation, a grassroots national judo organization. He is also the head instructor of Leeward Judo Club in Hawaii.

Awards and honors

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USA Judo announced Kevin Asano among its inaugural Hall of Fame inductees in 2008[2] along with Edward Liddie, Mike Swain and Jimmy Pedro. He is also a member of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame 2000 inductees[3] is also a member of the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame.[4] In 1988, Asano was named the US Olympic Committee's US Judo Athlete of the Year.

Books authored

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Asano has authored the following book:

  • Step Onto the Mat (White Mountain Castle Publishing, LLC, 2008) ISBN 978-0-9815219-1-6

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kevin Asano". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016.
  2. ^ "USA Judo – Features, Events, Results – Team USA". Team USA.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame and Cybermuseum". Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  4. ^ "354057" (PDF).[dead link]


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