Tadahiro Nomura is convinced he failed to have a chance to shoot for his fourth straight Olympic gold medal. But he's not quite done yet on the tatami.
Nomura, who was left off the list of the Japanese judo athletes for this summer's Beijing Games after losing in the semifinals of the 60-kg division in the National Weight Class Invitational Tournament in Fukuoka last Saturday, offered his heartfelt feelings regarding retirement from judo, noting it's too early to decide on his future, he expressed in his online blog "Nomura Style" (ameblo.jp/nomuratadahiro/).
Instead of the three-time gold medalist (1996, 2000 and '04) heading to Beijing, 23-year-old Hiroaki Hiraoka earned his first Olympic berth as the weight-class representative.