A master of the uchimata (inner leg throw), Maruyama – who beat Abe on his way to winning at the 2019 world championships on home soil – was one of the best pound-for-pound judoka in the world during his time.
Unfortunately, he was born in the same era and competed in the same weight class as now two-time Olympic champion Abe.
Maruyama does not have an Olympic medal to decorate his career, but his name undoubtedly has been carved out in the sport’s history because of his 24-minute, winner-takes-all duel against Abe that decided who would compete for Japan at the Tokyo 2020 Games in the men’s -66kg.
In December 2020 with the global pandemic still in full rage, Maruyama and Abe battled through four minutes of regulation and an unbelievable 20 minutes of extra time – amounting to six normal bouts – at Tokyo’s Kodokan, the mecca of judo.
Abe prevailed in the end – and gained a mental stranglehold over Maruyama he would not let go. Maruyama lost to Abe at both the 2022 and 2023 worlds, again missing out on an Olympic spot at Paris 2024 where Abe went on to defend his title.
Maruyama finished with a 4-7 career record versus Abe. That he actually defeated Abe four times is testament to his class and quality as a judoka.
Maruyama’s last competition proved to be last year’s Paris Grand Slam, where he lost to compatriot Takeoka Takeshi in the final – his first loss to someone other than Abe in six years.
