Sagi Muki

Sagi Aharon Muki (or Moki; Hebrew: שגיא אהרון מוקי‎; born 17 May 1992) is an Israeli half-middleweight judoka. Muki is the 2019 World Champion. He also won the 2015 and 2018 European championships.[3][4][5]

Sagi Muki
Muki in 2019
Personal information
Full nameSagi Aharon Muki
NationalityIsraeli
EthnicityJewish
Born (1992-05-17) 17 May 1992
Netanya, Israel
Years active19
Height179 cm (5 ft 10 in)<[1]
Weight81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
SportJudo
Rank     1st degree black belt in Judo[2]
Event(s)–81 kg
ClubMaccabi Netanya
Coached byOren Smadja
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking
  1. 2
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  Israel
World Championships
2019 Tokyo–81 kg
European Games
2015 Baku–73 kg
European Championships
2018 Tel Aviv–81 kg

In August 2011 Muki won the European Cup U20 in Berlin in the under 73 kilogram (161-pound) category. He won gold medals in February 2013 at the European Open World Judo Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia, in June 2013 at the European Open Tallinn, and in October 2013 at the European Open Minsk, in the under 73 weight class. In May 2014, he won the Baku Grand Slam in Azerbaijan in the under 73 kg category, and the following month he won another International Judo Federation World Tour gold medal, this time at the Havana Grand Prix in the under 73 kg category.

Muki is a two-time Israeli judo champion. In June 2015, representing Israel at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, he won the gold medal and the European championship in judo in the under 73 kg weight class. Competing for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics he came in 5th place. He was ranked No. 1 in the world in March 2019.[6]

Early life

Muki was born and raised in Netanya, Israel, to a family of Mizrahi Jewish (Yemenite-Jewish) descent.[7][8][9][10][11] His parents are Rahamim and Orit Muki. At the age of eight, he chose to focus on judo, which he had been practicing for four years, despite excelling in football for a Netanya junior soccer team.[9][12][13] He attended Tchernichovsky High School in Netanya.[1] As of June 2015 he still resided with his parents, for reasons of convenience and proximity to the Wingate Institute sports training facility.[13][13] He served in the Israel Defense Forces as a Sergeant in the Vehicle Division at the Sde Dov airbase.[14]

Judo career

For 19 years, since the age of four, Muki has been coached by Israeli judoka Oren Smadja, who won the Olympic bronze medal in the under 71 kilograms (157 lb) weight category in judo at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.[10][11][13][15] Smadja is also the national team coach, and Muki views Smadja as a fatherly figure.[13][16] His club is Maccabi Netanya, and he met future Israeli judoka world champion Yarden Gerbi there when he was four years old.[9][11] He noted in 2013: "It's important to me to serve the State as an athlete. This year, I got to play the national anthem in Georgia, Estonia, and Belarus, and last year in Germany. Every time the audience stands for the anthem, it's fun and brings me great pride".[17]

In April 2011 he came in fifth in the World U-20 Junior Championships in the under 73-kilogram (161-pound) category, and in August 2011 Muki won the European Cup U20 in Berlin in the under 73 kg category.[18][19] In September 2011, he came in third in the European U20 Junior Championships in Lommel, Belgium, in the under 73 kg category.[18][19] In December 2012, he won the Israeli Championship in the under 81 kilograms (179 lb) category in Ra'anana, Israel.[18][20]

Muki won a gold medal at the European Open World Judo Championship in February 2013 in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the under 73 kg category.[21] He also won gold medals at the European Open Tallinn in June 2013, and the European Open Minsk in October 2013 in the under 73 weight class.[18] He won the Israeli Championship in the under 81 kg category in Ra'anana, Israel in December 2013.[18]

In May 2014, Muki won the Baku Grand Slam in Azerbaijan in the under 73 kg category.[22] In June 2014, he won another International Judo Federation World Tour gold medal, at the Havana Grand Prix in the under 73 kg category.[23][24] In October 2014, he was ranked number three in the world in his weight class, and in May 2015 he had moved up to number two in the world.[25][26]

European Champion

In June 2015, representing Israel at the 2015 European Games in judo in the under 73 kg category in Baku, Muki won the first gold medal for Israel in the inaugural European Games, and in doing so won the 2015 European Judo Championship.[27][28] In the quarterfinals he defeated then-reigning European champion Dex Elmont of the Netherlands.[13] He defeated Nugzar Tatalashvili of Georgia in the final, throwing him for an ippon twenty-eight seconds prior to the end of their match, and after his victory he pointed with a smile at the Israeli flag on his judogi.[13][16][26] He became the first Israeli men's European Judo Champion since Ariel Ze'evi, who won the championship four times.[26] Muki received NIS 40,000 (approximately $10,500) from the Israel Olympic Committee for his achievement, the highest amount of any Israeli athlete, and a monthly stipend of NIS 8,500.[12][13][27][29][30]

In October 2015, Muki won the bronze medal in the Paris Grand Slam after defeating Shuai Sun from China.[31] Two weeks later on 31 October 2015, he won a bronze medal in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam after defeating Belgian Dirk Van Tichelt.[32]

Rio 2016

In August 2016, Muki competed for the first time in his career for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics at the age of 24. In the first round he defeated former European champion Rok Drakšič of Slovenia with an ippon. In the second round he beat Igor Wandtke of Germany. In the quarter-finals, Muki defeated Nicholas Delpopolo of the United States. In the semi-finals, Muki lost to Rustam Orujov of Azerbaijan, and subsequently he was also defeated by Lasha Shavdatuashvili of Georgia for the bronze medal. Muki finished in fifth place.[33][34]

On 7 October 2017, Muki competed at the Grand Prix Tashkent, his first competition since the 2016 olympics, and won the gold medal.[35] On 27 April 2018, Muki took part in the european championships in Tel Aviv and won the gold medal in the under 81 kg weight category. In the first round he defeated Jonathan Allardon of France by ippon, in the second round he defeated Matthias Casse of Belgium by waza-ari. He went on to defeat László Csoknyai of Hungary by ippon in the quarter final and Aslan Lappinagov of Russia by shidos in the semi-final. In the final Muki defeated Sami Chouchi of Belgium by waza-ari in golden score.[36]

World Champion

At the 2019 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, Muki won the gold medal in the under 81 kg weight category. Coming to the competition, Muki was ranked 2nd in the world and 5 out of his 6 matches that day, he won by Ippon. He won his first 4 matches by Ippon and in the semi-final he defeated Mohamed Abdelaal of Egypt by Waza-ari. In the final, Muki faced Matthias Casse of Belgium and won by Ippon due to 2 Waza-ari scores.

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See also

References
  1. "Baku 2015 1St European Games – Athletes – MUKI Sagi". Baku 2015.
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M35RQPnluU4
  3. "Sagi Muki, Judoka". JudoInside.
  4. "Judo – Sagi Muki (Israel): season totals". the-sports.org.
  5. "Israel to send largest delegation to Euro Games". The Jewish Chronicle. 8 June 2015.
  6. "IJF World Rankings 31 Mar 2019".
  7. https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4840886,00.html
  8. "Israeli Sports", Jewish Sports Review, Vol. 9, No. 11, Issue 107, p. 21, January/February 2015.
  9. "היורש של אורן סמדג'ה: סיפור ההצלחה של שגיא מוקי". וואלה! ספורט (in Hebrew). 21 May 2015.
  10. Oren Aharoni (26 June 2015). "Israeli judo champ takes gold at European Games; Sagi Moki becomes first Israeli gold-medalist in Baku's European Games after 19 years training with Olympic medalist Oren Smadja". ynet.
  11. "מטיל זהב: סיפור ההצלחה של שגיא מוקי". One.co.il (in Hebrew). 27 June 2015.
  12. "שגיא מוקי זכה במדליית הזהב באליפות אירופה". One.co.il (in Hebrew). 26 June 2015.
  13. "שגיא מוקי: "ידעתי שאני שווה מדליה"". ynet (in Hebrew). 28 June 2015.
  14. "Israel Air Force Soldier Becomes European Judo Champion". IDF Blog – The Official Blog of the Israel Defense Forces. 19 November 2013.
  15. "Israeli judoka wins silver medal at European Championship". i24news. 27 June 2015.
  16. "הישג ענק: מדליית זהב לשגיא מוקי באליפות אירופה בג'ודו". וואלה! ספורט (in Hebrew). 26 June 2015.
  17. "IAF Soldier becomes European Judo Champion", Israeli Air Force, 29 October 2013
  18. "Sagi Muki, Judoka". JudoInside. 13 December 2012.
  19. "Judo – Sagi Muki (Israel)". the-sports.org.
  20. "Israelian Championships Ra'anana, Event". judoinside.com.
  21. David Lev (4 February 2013). "Israel Nabs Gold, Bronze at Judo Championships". Arutz Sheva.
  22. "Day 2 of the Judo Grand Slam in Azerbaijan". euronews. 11 May 2014.
  23. Paul Osborne (7 June 2014). "Muki takes second successive IJF World Judo Tour gold with victory in Havana". insidethegames.
  24. "Havana Grand Prix: Tchrikishvili still the man to beat". euronews. 8 June 2014.
  25. "Muki works his magic on the mat at Astana Grand Prix". TLV1 Radio. 24 October 2014.
  26. "Sagi Muki takes unique European title for Israel". JudoInside. 26 June 2015.
  27. "Israeli judoka Sagi Muki wins gold medal at European Games in Baku". The Jerusalem Post. 26 June 2015.
  28. "Israeli judoka takes gold medal at European Games in Baku". The Times of Israel. 27 June 2015.
  29. "Israeli wins gold medal at European judo competition". JNS.org. 26 June 2015.
  30. "סך המענקים לישראלים במשחקי אירופה: "320 אלף שקל", Globes, 28 June 2015
  31. "יום ענק לג'ודאים: ג'רבי, מוקי וראשוני זכו בארד" [Great day for the judokas: Gerbi, Muki and Rishoni won the bronze]. ONE (in Hebrew). 17 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  32. "ג'ודו: ג'רבי זכתה בארד באבו דאבי ופרצה בבכי, ארד גם למוקי" [Judo: Gerbi and Muki won the bronze in Abu Dhabi]. ynet (in Hebrew). 31 October 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  33. "Israeli judoka Sagi Muki comes up short in Olympic medal bid". The Jerusalem Post – Israel News. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  35. "גרנד פרי טשקנט: שגיא מוקי זכה במדליית זהב בקטגוריה עד 81 ק"ג" [Grand Prix Tashkent: Sagi Muki wins gold in the −81 kg category]. Walla! (in Hebrew). 7 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  36. Results – European Championships 2018, at JudoInside.com
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