Takata overcoming adversity in judo, life

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Taylor Takata is back in Wahiawa trying to decide if the love of the sport that drove him to spend three years away from home is strong enough to fuel him for the next four.

Takata's training with the USA Judo team in Colorado Springs ended in disappointment 2 1/2 weeks ago when he lost to the top-seeded competitor at the Olympic Team Trials and missed a chance to represent the U.S. at the 2004 Games in Athens.

It has been a trying eight months for Takata, starting with the death of his younger sister, Summer, to an automobile accident on Nov. 9. Now, he's at a crossroads.

"I'm going to try to give it another shot, but I'm going to just relax this summer and decide if I want to go back to Colorado and continue with judo," said Takata, a 2000 Iolani School graduate. "I'll probably end up going back."

He said the only other time he has questioned his drive to compete for the United States was when Summer, then 19, was killed.

"After that I didn't know if I wanted to do judo again," he said. "I was thinking about not competing again. That was the only other time. I don't think my sister would have wanted me to quit, and I wanted to give myself a good shot at making it. If I quit then, I probably would have regretted it."

He took two months off from judo to grieve, then returned to Colorado Springs. Although Takata was the top-ranked performer in the nation at 60 kilograms since 2001, the time off dropped him from the top spot.

But he was also competing more in the 66 kg division, because there was no Olympic berth available for the U.S. at 60 kg.

Takata was ranked fifth at 66 kg, and he won that division at the USA Judo National Championships in San Diego in May, which was an "incredible feat," according to his coach Ed Liddie.

"You hardly ever see someone move from one division to another and see someone win it," Liddie said.

That win assured Takata a berth in the Olympic Team Trials on June 5. Then, two weeks before the trials, USA Judo discovered that Cuba didn't have an Olympic representative at 60 kg, which suddenly opened a spot for the U.S.

Takata said he decided not to drop back to 60 kg competition because he felt too heavy and didn't think he would have made the weight. He said he wished he'd known earlier.

"It was a gamble, but he didn't think it was enough time," Liddie said. "If he had a month to cut the weight and cut it properly, he would be on the Olympic team (at 60 kg)."

Only one competitor from each weight division represents the United States at the Olympics.

At the trials, Takata won his first match, defeating John Matsuoka, but then lost to eventual 66 kg champion Alexander Ottiano.

Two days later Takata returned to Hawai'i, first making a stop on Maui to hang out with friends, go to the beach, and sightsee. He flew to O'ahu last week and said he plans on spending the rest of the summer working for his father, Gary.

"I'm going to relax and work with my dad," said Takata, who said his father is in the construction business. "I'm like his little slave."

Takata said he is happy to return home and be able to relax.

"When I'm up there, all I do is train, but when I'm home I get to hang out with my family and friends," he said.

He said he will probably return to Colorado Springs, but first wants to take some time off.

That is fine with Liddie, who said he usually gives his athletes time to "clear their heads." Liddie said he hopes Takata will return.

"I'm hoping that he decides to go on to the next Olympics," said Liddie, who has been Takata's coach since 2001. "It would be a shame and a loss not to have him at the 2008 Olympics."

Takata, meanwhile, said partly because he still wants to compete in judo, and partly because he's still young enough, he will most likely "do judo for at least two more years and see what happens."

He expressed his gratitude to all of the people who helped him through the past few years.

"I got a lot of support from the people from judo and Iolani people," he said. "With everything that happened, everyone was pretty supportive."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.