Israeli world champion judoka Sagi Muki announces his retirement

Israeli Olympic medalist and world champion Sagi Muki announces that he is retiring from professional judo at age 33.

“Judo for me was never just a sport… it wasn’t just a part of my life, it was my whole life,” says an emotional Muki at a press conference in Netanya. “I’m not retiring because I can’t, I’m retiring because I know exactly what is needed to be a world champion — and if I’m not willing to give it my whole life, I don’t want to stand on the mat.”

In recent years, Muki says, he has married and had a family, and “there are things I’m not willing to miss out on. My dreams haven’t ended, they’ve just found a new direction.”

In both 2015 and 2018, Muki took gold at the European Championships, and in 2019, he won gold at the World Championships in Tokyo. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Muki was part of the Israeli team that won a bronze medal in the mixed team event.

Muki also made headlines for striking up an unlikely friendship with Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei, who was ordered by Tehran to forfeit to Muki and who later defected from Iran and even visited Israel.

In a statement, the Olympic Committee of Israel thanks Muki for “countless heart-pounding moments, for tears of hope, and for the Israeli pride you spread around the world.” Muki, they say, “always represented us with his heart on the mat and the flag on his chest.”