Shohei Ono

Shohei Ono

File:Shohei Ono.jpg
Personal information
Native name	大野将平
Nationality	Japanese
Born	(1992-02-03) 3 February 1992 Yamaguchi, Japan
Died	Not recognized as a date. Years must have 4 digits (use leading zeros for years < 1000). (aged )
Occupation	Judoka
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Website
Sport
Country	Japan
Sport	Judo
Weight class	–73 kg
Rank	5th dan black belt in Judo
Club	Asahi Kasei
Team	All Japan National Team
Achievements and titles
World finals	(2013, 2015, 2019)
Regional finals	(2018)
Olympic finals	(2016, 2020)
Medal record Men's judo Representing Japan Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro –73 kg 2020 Tokyo –73 kg 2020 Tokyo Mixed team World Championships 2013 Rio de Janeiro –73 kg 2014 Chelyabinsk Men's team 2015 Astana –73 kg 2015 Astana Men's team 2019 Tokyo –73 kg 2019 Tokyo Mixed team 2013 Rio de Janeiro Men's team Asian Games 2018 Jakarta –73 kg Asian Championships 2012 Tashkent –73 kg IJF Grand Slam 2012 Tokyo –73 kg 2018 Düsseldorf –73 kg 2018 Osaka –73 kg 2019 Düsseldorf –73 kg 2020 Düsseldorf –73 kg 2014 Tokyo –73 kg 2013 Paris –73 kg IJF Grand Prix 2015 Düsseldorf –73 kg 2016 Düsseldorf –73 kg World Juniors Championships 2011 Cape Town –73 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF	{{#statements:P4559}}
JudoInside.com	{{#statements:P2767}}
Updated on 24 October 2022.

Shohei Ono (大野将平, Ōno Shōhei, born 3 February 1992) is a Japanese judoka.

Ono is regarded as one of judo's top fighters, having won three World Championships and two Olympic gold medals. He is the lightweight division's most dominant fighter, having won in every major championship he competed since 2015. Ono specializes in osoto gari (having written his masters' thesis on it) and is known for his classical technique and all ippon style. He holds one of the highest ippon rates in judo. Ono is also one of the most searched judokas on the Internet.

Career

Breakthrough: Grand Slam Tokyo 2012

Ono cemented his place as one of judo's biggest ippon players by winning the prestigious Grand Slam in Tokyo all by ippon. He defeated Lee Shing Him, Yertugan Torenov and Khashbaataryn Tsagaanbaatar in the Round of 32, quarter-final and semi-final by ippon, and Etienne Briand by ippon and two yukos in the Round of 16. He met then reigning world champion and Olympic silver medalist Riki Nakaya in the final. Ono defeated Nakaya with a stunning ippon by osoto gari, adding to a waza-ari he scored earlier on. This would prove to be a turning point in one of the most heated rivalries in the lightweight division, with Ono breaking Nakaya's dominance in the division. The rivalry between the two Japanese fighters would go on for six years.

Grand Slam Paris 2013

Ono continued his ippon streak at the Grand Slam in Paris, where he defeated Luiz Alcaraz del Rey and Dirk Van Tichelt by ippon in the Round of 32 and quarter-final, and Ljubisa Kovacevic by ippon and yuko in the Round of 16. His run for a consecutive Grand Slam win ended in the semi-final, where he lost against Tsagaanbaatar by waza-ari. With 30 seconds on the clock, the Mongol threw Ono for waza-ari with Ono's signature uchi mata. The match was already sealed in the former's favour with two shidos against Ono. The Japanese then showed his ippon style again in the bronze medal contest against Benjamin Darbelet with an uchi mata ippon in just eight seconds.

Rise to prominence: 2013 World Championships

Ono became Japan's third lightweight champion in four years after Hiroyuki Akimoto and Nakaya at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro. He faced off against Korea's double World Champion Wang Ki-chun in the Round of 64. Fifteen seconds into the fight, Wang attempted a drop morote seoi nage, however was unsuccessful in gaining a score. Ono countered with a juji gatame, but Wang easily escaped by lifting Ono off the ground. Wang then unsuccessfully threw Ono with the latter's single grip on his sleeve with an uchi mata. In a turn of events, Wang was controversially given four shidos to earn a hansoku make or disqualification, namely for three false attacks and breaking off a grip. He unexpectedly crashed out of the tournament in his first fight.

Ono met Neoklis Skouroumounis in his second fight, and scored a yuko early on with de ashi harai. He sealed the fight with ippon with uchi mata. Ono then faced Miklós Ungvári in the Round of 16, who had a similar fate to Wang. Ungvari picked up four shidos for a hansoku make, in the form of avoiding grips, stepping off the mat, attempting a false attack and passivity. Ono went on against Dex Elmont in the quarter-final, in which he again showed his ippon play. Ono scored first with an osoto gari to ushiro goshi for yuko. Elmont then scored a yuko to level the scores. The fight went to golden score with the fighters on equal grounds with a yuko and two shidos each. Ono defeated Elmont with a harai goshi for ippon, and was through to a semi-final against van Tichelt. Ono was ranked number 15, and van Tichelt thirteen places above him. Ono defeated him for a guaranteed medal with one of his best techniques, osoto gari, for ippon.

Ono was set against Ugo Legrand in the final. Ono attempted a double sleeve uchi mata and gained a yuko. Ono won the World title with a strong hane goshi that scored ippon, defeating Legrand. He was overwhelmed with winning the World title and was moved to tears.

Ono also won the Teams' bronze medal with Japan. In the quarter-final he faced Mirali Sharipov, and continued his dominance as a big ippon fighter by defeating the Uzbek with an osoto gari for waza-ari, and uchi mata for ippon.

2014 Grand Slam Tokyo

He lost to Hiroyuki Akimoto of Japan in the finals.

2016 Olympics

For me, it's the Ono style of judo. What I wanted to do was demonstrate that the Ono style is the strongest judo style – the number one judo style. That certainly was the goal entering the Olympics.

— Ono on his iconic Japanese fighting style

2020 Olympics

Ono won the gold medal in the 73 kg competition at the 2020 Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.

Personal life

On 28 May 2013, Ono and four other senior male students in Tenri University’s judo club ordered younger members to slap freshmen in the face. After an investigation, on 5 September, Ono was removed from his post of captain of the club and with the other four were suspended for 30 days.

Competitive record

Judo Record
Total	111 (100.0%)
Wins	101 (90.99%)
by Ippon	73 (65.76%)
Losses	10 (9.01%)
by Ippon	3 (2.70%)

(as of 18 August 2021)