Mika Sugimoto

2.1. Birth and Childhood

Mika Sugimoto was born on August 27, 1984, in Itami, Hyōgo, Japan. During her childhood, she began playing hard-court tennis in the third grade of Itami Municipal Konoike Elementary School. However, she found it difficult to adapt to tennis and, after approximately two years, transitioned to judo. She subsequently joined the Itami Saturday Judo Class, marking the beginning of her engagement with the sport.

2.2. Education and Early Judo Career

Sugimoto's judo career began to flourish during her junior high and high school years. In her third year at Shukugawa Gakuin Junior High School, she achieved a national championship victory in the team event at the National Junior High School Judo Tournament. Following her junior high success, she enrolled in Osaka Municipal Hanai High School, where she continued to excel, winning the National High School Judo Championships. She was considered a promising talent from her junior years. After graduating from high school, Sugimoto matriculated at Tsukuba University, specifically in the Faculty of Physical Education, from which she graduated in 2007. During her university years, she actively competed in senior-level competitions, though she consistently faced challenges in overcoming Maki Tsukada, who was the leading figure in her weight class at the time.

3.1. Early Professional Years

Following her university graduation in 2007, Mika Sugimoto embarked on her professional judo career, joining the Komatsu Ltd. Women's Judo Club. In the initial phase of her professional career, she continued to compete actively at the senior level. By 2009, she achieved a significant victory over Maki Tsukada, who had previously been a formidable opponent, winning the All-Japan Selected Judo Championships by ippon. Despite this victory, she placed third in the All-Japan Championships held shortly after, losing to Tsukada. She also secured a gold medal at the 2009 Judo Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro that year. In 2010, she once again defeated Tsukada in the individual weight class, achieving her second consecutive win at the All-Japan Selected Judo Championships. However, in the final of the All-Japan Championships, she suffered an ippon loss to Tsukada, finishing in second place.

3.2. Peak Performance and Major Championships

Mika Sugimoto's prime performance years saw her dominate the +78 kg and openweight categories in major international competitions.

In September 2010, at the 2010 World Judo Championships held in Tokyo, Sugimoto showcased a dominant performance, securing gold medals in both the +78 kg and openweight divisions. In the +78 kg division, she achieved ippon victories in every match from the opening round. In the semi-final, she decisively defeated Idalys Ortíz of Cuba with a rapid two-motion Harai Goshi. The final saw her actively press Qin Qian of China, leading to a Hansoku-make victory, thus winning the championship. She then entered the openweight division, progressing smoothly to the final where she again faced Qin Qian. Sugimoto secured an effective score, winning by Yusei-gachi (superiority decision), and became only the third judoka in history, after Ingrid Berghmans and Gao Fenglian, to achieve the rare feat of winning two weight categories at the World Championships. In November 2010, at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, she faced Qin Qian for the third time in the +78 kg final. In a close contest, Sugimoto prevailed with a 2-1 decision, securing another gold medal.

The year 2011 began with a silver medal at the 2011 Judo World Masters in Baku, where she was defeated by Ai Tachimoto in the final. However, she quickly rebounded by winning the 2011 Judo Grand Prix Düsseldorf. This success was followed by her third consecutive victory at the All-Japan Selected Judo Championships and her first triumph at the All-Japan Judo Championships. In August 2011, at the 2011 World Judo Championships in Paris, she suffered an ippon loss to Qin Qian in the semi-final. Despite this, she secured a bronze medal by defeating Ai Tachimoto with a 2-0 shido advantage in the third-place match, although she was unable to celebrate her 27th birthday with a gold medal. In October, at the 2011 World Judo Open Championships held in Tyumen, Russia, she reached the semi-finals but was defeated by Tong Wen with an ippon in the closing moments. She secured another bronze medal by narrowly defeating Qin Qian with a 2-1 decision in the third-place match. In December 2011, at the 2011 Judo Grand Slam Tokyo, she defeated Lucija Polavder with an Uchi Mata in the semi-final and then won the final against Ai Tachimoto with a 3-0 decision.

In January 2012, Sugimoto participated in the 2012 Judo World Masters but placed third after losing to Qin Qian in the semi-final by three shido penalties. In April's All-Japan Judo Championships, she was defeated by Kanae Yamabe of Yamanashi Gakuin University with a waza-ari from a Tai Otoshi and two shido penalties, failing to secure her second consecutive championship title. The following month, in May's All-Japan Selected Judo Championships, she defeated Yamabe with a yuko from a Seoi Nage in overtime, securing her fourth consecutive title in the event and earning her selection for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

At the 2012 London Olympics in July, Sugimoto began strongly, defeating Giovanna Blanco of Venezuela with a Harai Goshi in her first match and Maria Altheman of Brazil with an Uchi Mata in the second round. In the semi-final, she overcame local favorite Karina Bryant of Great Britain by accumulating two shido penalties. However, in the final, she was defeated 0-3 by decision against Cuba's Idalys Ortíz, earning a silver medal. Sugimoto reflected on the final, noting that she became overly cautious after an early attempt at her favorite Harai Goshi was almost countered. She acknowledged that despite maintaining a gripping advantage, her hesitation to execute techniques was a major factor in her loss. Her coach, Ryuji Sonoda, also expressed regret, stating that given her main rival Tong Wen's semi-final loss, Sugimoto should have won gold, and her timidity after the initial counter-attack attempt was the decisive factor, describing the lost gold as a "big fish that got away."

3.3. Playing Style and Characteristics

Mika Sugimoto competed in the +78 kg weight class. She stood 65 in ^{(166 cm)} tall and weighed approximately 214 lb ^{(97 kg)} during her active career. Her physical attributes included a grip strength of 110 lb ^{(50 kg)} in her right hand and 112 lb ^{(51 kg)} in her left, a bust measurement of 47 in ^{(119 cm)}, and a reach of 65 in ^{(166 cm)}. Her blood type is A. Sugimoto adopted a right-handed gripping style (組み手_Kumi-te^Japanese). Her favorite and most effective technique was the Harai Goshi. She held the rank of 6th Dan in judo.

4.1. Retirement from Competition

On November 14, 2012, Mika Sugimoto announced her retirement from active competition. She submitted her resignation as a reinforced athlete to the All Japan Judo Federation, indicating her decision to step away from the front lines of competitive judo. Sugimoto expressed that she felt she had "really gave it her all" after winning the silver medal at the London Olympics, which solidified her decision to retire. She also stated her intention not to participate in the upcoming All-Japan Championships.

4.2. Coaching Career and Activities

Immediately following her retirement from competition in November 2012, Mika Sugimoto was appointed as a coach for the Komatsu Ltd. Women's Judo Club, the same team she competed for. In this new capacity, she also committed to participating in judo classes and promotional activities to help popularize the sport.
In March 2013, the All Japan Judo Federation requested Sugimoto to become a new coach for the women's national judo team, following issues related to violence against female judo athletes. However, she declined the offer, citing her limited coaching experience and the need for time off due to knee surgery that would prevent her from being immediately present on the field.
In September 2019, after the retirement of Kazuhiko Tokuno, the director of the Komatsu Women's Judo Club, Sugimoto took on the role of acting director. She officially became the director in 2020 but stepped down from the position in March 2022. She also gave a lecture at Hachioji City Matsugaya Junior High School on November 25, 2015.

6.1. Competition Results

Mika Sugimoto's career saw her achieve numerous top-three finishes in major international and domestic tournaments.

• 1999: National Junior High School Judo Tournament - Team event: 1st
• 2001: National High School Judo Championships: 2nd
• 2002: National High School Judo Championships: 1st
• 2002: France Junior International: 1st
• 2003: All-Japan Selected Judo Championships: 3rd
• 2003: Summer Universiade (Openweight): 2nd
• 2003: All-Japan Junior Judo Championships: 1st
• 2003: Fukuoka International Women's Judo Championships (+78 kg): 3rd
• 2004: Asian Judo Championships (Openweight): 2nd
• 2005: World Cup Prague: 1st
• 2005: Asian Judo Championships (+78 kg): 1st
• 2005: Asian Judo Championships (Openweight): 1st
• 2005: All-Japan Student Judo Championships: 1st
• 2005: Kodokan Cup All-Japan Judo Championships: 1st
• 2005: Fukuoka International Women's Judo Championships (+78 kg): 2nd
• 2005: Fukuoka International Women's Judo Championships (Openweight): 3rd
• 2006: World Cup Budapest: 1st
• 2006: Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Judo Championships: 3rd
• 2007: Summer Universiade (+78 kg): 3rd
• 2007: East Asian Judo Championships (+78 kg): 1st
• 2007: Kodokan Cup All-Japan Judo Championships: 2nd
• 2008: Asian Judo Championships (Openweight): 1st
• 2008: East Asian Judo Championships (+78 kg): 2nd
• 2008: World Judo Team Championships (Tokyo): 1st
• 2008: Kodokan Cup All-Japan Judo Championships: 1st
• 2008: Kano Cup: 2nd
• 2008: World Judo Open Championships (Levallois-Perret): 3rd (Open)
• 2009: World Cup Vienna: 2nd
• 2009: Judo Grand Prix Hamburg: 2nd
• 2009: All-Japan Selected Judo Championships: 1st
• 2009: Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Judo Championships: 3rd
• 2009: Judo Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro: 1st (+78 kg)
• 2009: Kodokan Cup All-Japan Judo Championships: 2nd
• 2010: All-Japan Selected Judo Championships: 1st
• 2010: Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Judo Championships: 2nd
• 2010: World Judo Championships (Tokyo) (+78 kg): 1st
• 2010: World Judo Championships (Tokyo) (Openweight): 1st
• 2010: Asian Games (Guangzhou) (+78 kg): 1st
• 2011: Judo World Masters (Baku): 2nd (+78 kg)
• 2011: Judo Grand Prix Düsseldorf: 1st (+78 kg)
• 2011: All-Japan Selected Judo Championships: 1st
• 2011: Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Judo Championships: 1st
• 2011: World Judo Championships (Paris) (+78 kg): 3rd
• 2011: World Judo Team Championships (Paris): 2nd
• 2011: World Judo Open Championships (Tyumen) (Openweight): 3rd
• 2011: Judo Grand Slam Tokyo: 1st (+78 kg)
• 2012: Judo World Masters (Almaty): 3rd (+78 kg)
• 2012: Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Judo Championships: 2nd
• 2012: All-Japan Selected Judo Championships: 1st
• 2012: London 2012 Summer Olympics (+78 kg): 2nd

6.2. Head-to-Head Records Against Notable Opponents

Mika Sugimoto's competitive career included numerous bouts against top-tier judokas. Her head-to-head records against some of her significant rivals are as follows: