Overview

Anton Geesink was a legendary Dutch judoka who made history by becoming the first non-Japanese judoka to win a world championship. Born on April 6, 1934, in Utrecht, Geesink broke Japanese dominance in the sport by winning the World Judo Championships in 1961 and 1965. His most significant achievement came at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where he won the gold medal in the open category, defeating Akio Kaminaga in front of a home Japanese crowd.

Geesink’s career was marked by his dominance in judo, winning 21 European titles and achieving the rank of 10th dan from the International Judo Federation. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and contributed to the sport’s global development. Beyond judo, Geesink had a brief career in professional wrestling and appeared in films.