View source for Yoshimi Masaki

{{Short description|Japanese judoka (born 1962)}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox judoka
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | {{JPN}} }}
{{MedalSport  |Men's [[judo]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Judo Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1985 World Judo Championships|1985 Seoul]] | Open}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Judo at the Asian Games|Asian Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1986 Asian Games|1986 Seoul]] | [[Judo at the 1986 Asian Games|Open]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Asian Judo Championships|Asian Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1984 Asian Judo Championships|1984 Kuwait City]] | Open}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Universiade]]}}
{{MedalGold  | [[1985 Summer Universiade|1985 Kobe]] | [[Judo at the 1985 Summer Universiade|Open]]<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K9IyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pO8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1509,4039856&dq=yoshimi+masaki&hl=en US Swimmer, Soviet gymnast, win fourth gold medals at Student Games]</ref> }}
}}

{{nihongo|'''Yoshimi Masaki'''|正木 嘉美|Masaki Yoshimi|extra=born on August 20, 1962, in [[Tadaoka, Osaka]], [[Japan]]}} is a retired Japanese [[judo]]ka who is a professor at [[Tenri University]].

==Biography==
Masaki began judo during elementary school, and graduated from Tenri Highschool and [[Tenri University]], where he was awarded as an outstanding competitor at the All-Japan Collegiate Judo Championships four times. [[Yasuhiro Yamashita]], [[Seigo Saito]], [[Yasuyuki Muneta]], and [[Yohei Takai]] are the only other judoka in history who received the award four times. Masaki continued to work and train at the university after graduating, but was unable to gain a spot on the Japanese national judo team as the third-string competitor behind Yasuhiro Yamashita and [[Hitoshi Saito]]. However, when Saito entered in both the +95&nbsp;kg and Open weight categories of the [[1985 World Judo Championships]], he was severely injured in the final of the +95&nbsp;kg competition, forcing him to give up his spot in the Open weight category. Masaki filled in as a last-minute replacement, and defeated [[Mohamed Rashwan]] in the final to become world champion in the Open weight category.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104204608/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119988/index.htm A Roundup Of The Week Sept. 23-29]</ref> He continued his success with consecutive wins at the [[All-Japan Judo Championships]] from 1986 to 1987, and was scheduled to enter the [[1987 World Judo Championships]] but withdrew due to an injury (his replacement, 19-year-old [[Naoya Ogawa]], went on to win the tournament to become the youngest world champion at the time). Though seen as the favorite to represent Japan in the Open weight category at the [[1988 Summer Olympics]], Masaki was defeated by Naoya Ogawa and Hitoshi Saito in qualification tournaments and did not make an appearance at the Olympics.

Masaki has continued to work for Tenri University after retiring, both as a judo instructor and a professor in [[sports science]]. He has also worked as an instructor for the All-Japan Judo Federation.

==See also==
* [[List of judoka]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Sports links}}

{{WC Judo Men's Openweight}}
{{All-Japan Judo Champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Masaki, Yoshimi}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Japanese male judoka]]
[[Category:Martial artists from Osaka Prefecture]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists in judo]]
[[Category:Judoka at the 1986 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists for Japan]]
[[Category:Asian Games judoka for Japan]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Summer World University Games medalists in judo]]
[[Category:People from Tadaoka, Osaka]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for Japan]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1985 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese sportsmen]]