Judo: Tokyo Olympic champion Wolf to retire next June

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japanese judoka Aaron Wolf, the men’s 100-kilogram gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, said Monday he will retire at the end of the national corporate team championships next June.

The 28-year-old, whose father is American and mother is Japanese, revealed the plan after he made a courtesy visit to Katsunori Aoki, mayor of Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward, where he is from.

Wolf finished seventh at the Paris Olympics and is set to make his final international appearance at the Tokyo Grand Slam in December.

“I have no regrets,” Wolf said. “I want many people to watch my matches in Japan. I’ve decided to give myself some time to enjoy judo.”

Wolf has not decided what to do after retirement, saying, “I won’t become a coach soon.”