Ryuji Sonoda (園田 隆二, Sonoda Ryūji, born September 16, 1973) is a Japanese judoka.

Ryuji Sonoda
Medal record
Representing  Japan
Men's Judo
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1993 Hamilton -60 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Chiba -60 kg
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 1994 Hiroshima -60 kg
Asian Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Manila -66 kg

He was born in Ōmuta, Fukuoka,[1] and began judo at the age of a first grader.[1]

He won a gold medal at the -60 kg category of the Junior World Championships in 1992 and World Championships in 1993.[2] After graduating from Meiji University, he entered the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

Sonoda retired from competition in 2004. By 2009, he coached All-Japan women's judo team[3] before announcing his resignation on January 31, 2013, following accusations of physical abuse by team members.[4]

He married judoka Noriko Anno in 2010.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "近代柔道 2004年8月号 入門!一流の技術 -第7回 園田隆二5段の「巴投げ」-". Baseball Magazine Sha Co., Ltd. 2004-08-20.
  2. ^ Profile on judoinside.com.
  3. ^ "柔道の全日本女子監督に就任した 園田隆二さん". Nishinippon Shimbun. 2009-01-18.
  4. ^ "Japan judo coach to resign over alleged abuse". NHK World. 2013-01-31.
  5. ^ "柔道の園田と阿武が結婚/金メダリスト同士". Shikoku News (in Japanese). 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
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