The two French athletes visited the temple of judo in Tokyo. Seven PSG players accompanied them to Kodokan.
Seven Paris SG players currently on a pre-season tour in Japan, including Kylian Mbappé, visited the Kodokan, the temple of judo in Tokyo, on Thursday, accompanied by a very special guide named Teddy Riner, a member of the judo section of the club.
The triple Olympic champion, who is used to training regularly in this institute founded in 1882 by Jigoro Kano, the creator of the discipline, first welcomed Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Mauro Icardi, Juan Bernat and Thilo Kehrer for a tour of the establishment’s museum in the company of Tadahiro Nomura, the only judoka to have won three individual gold medals at the Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004). Also present were Djamel Bouras, president of PSG judo, and Shohei Ono, double Olympic champion (1996, 2021).
They then went to the Kodokan dojo for a demonstration before being joined by two surprise guests, Kylian Mbappé and Presnel Kimpembe.
Marquinhos willingly played the game then it was around Mbappé, at first very reluctant, to place himself in the center of the tatami for a little lesson from Ono. The world champion even had the honor of being able to bring down the master of under 73 kg to the applause and roomy laughter of his teammates. Hakimi, Kehrer and Kimpembe were also treated to their little combat simulation.
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«It’s cool, it’s nice, it makes an exchange, especially in Japan“said Teddy Riner. “Here for us is the home of judo, where it all started. This tatami, I walked on it over and over again. It’s a country where I like to come and train, at least two or three times a year. The players asked me questions about the world of judo, the champions. I’m happy to be in Japan with a big part of the club.»