Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Portrait of a Fighter - Rusty Kanokogi

Read about another female pioneer, this time in the world of judo. Joshua Robinson writes in the NY Times:

"Rusty Kanokogi learned to scrap when her name was still Rena Glickman and she wandered the Brooklyn boardwalk. She learned to struggle when her parents ignored her in a tiny house near Coney Island. She learned to attack when she discovered judo in a dojo on Flatbush Avenue. She learned to argue in plush offices when she lobbied for women’s judo to become an Olympic sport. And at age 73, Kanokogi is still fighting."

One could make a good case that she is single-handedly responsible for getting women's judo recognised as a medal sport in the Olympic Games. This is one tough lady.

No comments:

Post a Comment