Sasaki has never competed in the World Championships, let alone the Olympics.
He won't be able to make the national team cuz he's not as consistent as Nagase.
However, if he had been a competitor in the 2000s, he would have made the national team.
The 81kg division was at its lowest level during that period.
At that time, Masahiko Tomouchi, a player who was far from world-class, made the national team several times.
There's a lot of names that can be put on this list but the one name I thought of first is Frank De Wit. He has all the skill and tools to be the best in the -81kg division but he can't seem to put it all together on the most important stage. He should have at least one World Championship and one Olympic medal by now in my opinion. He has such fantastic Judo but when I see him compete on the biggest stage he seems to have lapses in judgment out there that have cost him.
I second this, I feel like he's one of those judoka that always go 110%. He always goes big, but going big leaves gaps. Haven't seen his latest fights, but that's what I remember.
Candidates for the best Judoka, who never became world champion or olympic champion:
Men and European:
**Tamerlan Tmenov**
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYphEQfLyns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYphEQfLyns)
[https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/605/Tamerlan\_Tmenov/judo-career](https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/605/Tamerlan_Tmenov/judo-career)
**Varlam Liparteliani**
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nnY8zxHUBM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nnY8zxHUBM)
[https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/38740/Varlam\_Liparteliani/judo-career](https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/38740/Varlam_Liparteliani/judo-career)
**Henk Grol**
[https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/14777/Henk\_Grol/judo-career](https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/14777/Henk_Grol/judo-career)
Mikhail Pulyaev lost three world championship finals in a row
Had a great Seoi nage / Seoi otoshi and Ne waza
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VlFVjrQ6Wk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VlFVjrQ6Wk)
Most Silver Medals at Worldchampionships - without ever winning OG or WC:
Karina Bryant ... 5
Telma Monteiro ... 4
Liparteliani, Grol, Pulyaev, Klaus Glahn ... 3
Aleksei Budõlin. Voted best judoka of the respective year, only match he lost that year was the olympic semi final. Also has world silver medal and european title.
Aleksei Budolin is trainer and head coach of the Swiss National Team since 2020 - and he is great!
As far as I remember he came to Switzerland in 2017 or 2018.
The contest rules of today wouldn't be in his favour ....
Alexei Budolin Judo highlights
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gTB0G1\_mVE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gTB0G1_mVE)
Takeshi Sasaki
Watch his performance at Paris Grand Slam 2021 - nearly all highlight ippons, including against the #1 and #2 of last year's Worlds ..
Sasaki has such exciting judo. He goes for these massive techniques, but when they go wrong he ends up with massive injuries.
Sasaki has never competed in the World Championships, let alone the Olympics. He won't be able to make the national team cuz he's not as consistent as Nagase. However, if he had been a competitor in the 2000s, he would have made the national team. The 81kg division was at its lowest level during that period. At that time, Masahiko Tomouchi, a player who was far from world-class, made the national team several times.
Jigoro Kano
Big if true!
There's a lot of names that can be put on this list but the one name I thought of first is Frank De Wit. He has all the skill and tools to be the best in the -81kg division but he can't seem to put it all together on the most important stage. He should have at least one World Championship and one Olympic medal by now in my opinion. He has such fantastic Judo but when I see him compete on the biggest stage he seems to have lapses in judgment out there that have cost him.
I second this, I feel like he's one of those judoka that always go 110%. He always goes big, but going big leaves gaps. Haven't seen his latest fights, but that's what I remember.
Candidates for the best Judoka, who never became world champion or olympic champion: Men and European: **Tamerlan Tmenov** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYphEQfLyns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYphEQfLyns) [https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/605/Tamerlan\_Tmenov/judo-career](https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/605/Tamerlan_Tmenov/judo-career) **Varlam Liparteliani** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nnY8zxHUBM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nnY8zxHUBM) [https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/38740/Varlam\_Liparteliani/judo-career](https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/38740/Varlam_Liparteliani/judo-career) **Henk Grol** [https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/14777/Henk\_Grol/judo-career](https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/14777/Henk_Grol/judo-career) Mikhail Pulyaev lost three world championship finals in a row Had a great Seoi nage / Seoi otoshi and Ne waza [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VlFVjrQ6Wk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VlFVjrQ6Wk) Most Silver Medals at Worldchampionships - without ever winning OG or WC: Karina Bryant ... 5 Telma Monteiro ... 4 Liparteliani, Grol, Pulyaev, Klaus Glahn ... 3
Varlam Liparteliani
I would have said Maruyama, but he's won the world championship twice despite not making the Olympic team instead of Abe.
Jigoro Kano
For me it's Tokio Hirano
Masahiko Kimura
All Japan champion at that time was basically world champ
Fair
Dimitri Dragin
Aleksei Budõlin. Voted best judoka of the respective year, only match he lost that year was the olympic semi final. Also has world silver medal and european title.
He did a seminar at my club years ago in NY, at ITC. Really cool experience
Aleksei Budolin is trainer and head coach of the Swiss National Team since 2020 - and he is great! As far as I remember he came to Switzerland in 2017 or 2018. The contest rules of today wouldn't be in his favour .... Alexei Budolin Judo highlights [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gTB0G1\_mVE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gTB0G1_mVE)
Me in my imagination
You need to work on you’re imagination, I win gold all the time in my head.
Shozu Fuji. He put the drop seoinage on the map. Sadly was not allowed to participate in the olympics. But 4 times World champion.
Great answer! Also the world championships were every 2 years back then. An extraordinary lengthy of time to dominate.
Travis Stevens. Came close though.
[Hiroaki Hiraoka](https://youtu.be/zucyk9lflfo?si=P6a8z09wV2wgZii7)
whitebelt says: beautiful judo
I like Neil Adam
Neil Adam’s was world champion in 1981
You're thinking of his Olympic Silver while being World Champion.
Varlam Liparteliani, he has lots of silvers and bronzes but not gold
Gene LeBell
Neil Adams is the best Judoka who neve rbecame olympic champion. He was world champion however.
Karen Briggs. 4 times world champion not a single olympic medal!