The Judo community lost a dear friend and a pioneer of the women’s judo movement on Saturday when 1988 Olympic Coach Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) passed away at the age of 74 following a battle with cancer.

Rusty became the first woman to practice Judo in the men-only dojo of the Kodokan in Tokyo, Japan. She sponsored the first women’s Judo competition and was the driving force behind the introduction of women’s Judo in the Olympics. In 2008 she was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, one of Japan’s highest civilian honors.

We would like to offer our condolences to the families, friends, and club mates of Rusty.