Meeting Misato Nakamura, three-time World Judo Championship gold medallist

At MSIG, we believe in the values that sport represents: challenge, fair play, determination, passion, teamwork and resilience. In Japan, we have been supporting sports and active athletes as well as para athletes since 1989 when our Women’s Judo Team was founded.

We had the honour to meet and greet Misato Nakamura, a three-time World Judo Championship gold medallist and two-time Olympic medallist. Our MSI President and CEO had specially invited Nakamura san to our Asia office to not just wow us with her moves but also to inspire us as sports and work can be intrinsically linked.  The judoka-turned-coach revealed how she overcame challenges on her competitive journey before she retired in 2022 for a higher calling in coaching the next generation of judokas. We also witnessed her candid and quick-witted answers during the Q&A segment. When asked for her advice to parents with aspiring athletic children, her response was simple and wise: “Let them pursue their dreams and believe in them.”

In a short judo demo session, she showed how with judo, not only can we protect ourselves against stronger opponents, we can also break a fall safely to avoid injuries. More about the gutsy judoka in this video: