If you plan to stand toe to toe with these two men, you’d better be ready.
The State Games of Oregon took place last weekend at Corvallis High School, where senior Nathan Pietsch and first-year graduate student Sen Koshida dominated for the Oregon Club Sports Judo team.
The Ducks competed in a total of seven matches and never lost, which helped win them both gold medals. The men competed in the black belt category with Pietsch in the middle weight class and Koshida as a light weight.
“I was confident that I would do well,” Pietsch said. “I went in with the mind-set that I wanted to win.”
This is far from the first medals the men have earned to add to their showcases. Pietsch won the gold this year for an amazingly sixth time and Koshida repeated in his category winning the gold for the second time.
“I am definitely blessed to have won six times,” Pietsch said.
Koshida is from Japan and has been practicing Judo for more than 10 years. Because Judo is not nearly as big in the United States as it is in Japan, Koshida had no trouble with the competition.
“For me, the competition was not that hard,” said Koshida, who is not quite sure whether he will choose to compete in the Games next year.
Pietsch said he was honored to win the gold, but he is looking toward bigger and better things. In 1999, he was the Amateur Athletic Union Champion for Judo. After traveling to places like Japan and Korea to train and compete, Pietsch was ready for a shot at the 2000 Olympic Team.
Unfortunately for Pietsch, he injured his knee before the trials. He still traveled to the Olympic Trials but had to withdraw before competition even started. But being young, Pietsch said he has hopes for future Olympic appearances.
“The doors just have to open up,” Pietsch said of his feelings toward being on the Olympic Team in 2004.
The future remains to be seen for these two, but with the way things are going, it looks to be a bright one.