Dr. Jean Kanokogi will be sharing the recently completed memoir of her mother, Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi. We are very fortunate to be hosting Jean in her labor of love. Rusty was a larger than life personality and had an incredible and truly inspirational life story. In 1959, Rusty hid the fact that she was a woman and competed in a men's judo championship, winning the gold medal. When it was discovered that she was a woman, they forced her to return the medal even though she had won the competition. She then became an advocate for all of women's sports and was the driving force behind holding the first Women's World Judo Championships in Madison Square Garden in 1980, then getting women's judo into the Olympics in 1988. The event is free of charge and there is no requirement to purchase at any time. If you choose to purchase the book, you can find further information here: https://www.rustykanokogi.com

The event will be held on Zoom and space is limited so please make your reservation early. Please email me in advance at joe@yjudo.com so I can make sure you have the link. If we have an overflow, we may hold a second iteration.