Japanese heavyweight judoka Kosei Inoue said Tuesday he plans to return from an injury layoff at the national weight-class championships on April 2.
Inoue, the 100-kilogram gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has been sidelined since suffering a torn chest muscle at the Kano Cup international competition in January last year.
He earlier voiced his intention to return to action at a regional qualifying competition next Sunday for the open-category national championship, but decided to wait until he is fitter.
Inoue moved up to the over 100-kg class after failing in his defense of the 100-kg Olympic title in Athens in 2004 with a shock early-round loss.