Celita Schutz

Last updated
Celita Schutz
BornCelita Schutz
17 February 1968
Houston, TX
Style Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Teacher(s)Nagayasu Ogasawara, Yoichiro Matsumura, Louis Vintaralo
Rank  7th dan (Shichidan) black belt in Judo
  Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Celita Valerie Schutz (born 17 February 1968 in Houston, Texas) is an American judoka who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and in the 2004 Summer Olympics on the women's team. [1] She is a graduate of Yale University. class of 1990.

Schutz grew up in River Vale, New Jersey, where seeing her brother taking a lesson convinced her to take up judo at the age of six. [2] She began training at a young age with Sensei Ogasawara at Kokushi Dojo, in Westwood, New Jersey. She became nationally ranked at age 14 and internationally ranked at age 16. While competing worldwide, much of Celita's extended international training occurred in Japan, Spain, Germany and Brazil. She became Captain of the 1996 US Olympic Women's Judo Team; held consecutive #1 ranking in the United States for seven years; and while accumulating medals from around the world, achieved highest ranking of 5th in the World with expert coaching of Sensei Matsumura, Technical Advisor of Kokushikai, Inc.

Schutz has been a resident of Hillsdale, New Jersey, and currently runs the Kokushikai Judo Academy in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and is the president of the United States Judo Association. [3]

Selected accomplishments

1996 Summer Olympics, Atlanta
2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney
2004 Summer Olympics, Athens
2x World Team Member
US Open International Champion
Multi-time International Medalist
6x US National Judo Champion (Senior Level)
2x US Olympic Committee Female Athlete of the Year, Judo
Ultimate Female Titan
2x Grapplers Quest BJJ Champion
ADCC North American Champion, 2007
Certified Personal Trainer, NASM

Related Research Articles

Jennifer Beth Thompson is an American former competition swimmer and anesthesiologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Miller</span> American gymnast (born 1977)

Shannon Lee Miller is an American former artistic gymnast. She was the 1993 and 1994 world all-around champion, the 1992 Summer Olympics all-around silver medallist, the 1996 Olympic balance beam champion, the 1995 Pan American Games all-around champion, and a member of the gold medal-winning Magnificent Seven team at the 1996 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Isaković</span> Slovenian swimmer (born 1988)

Sara Isaković is a retired Slovenian swimmer. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, aged 20, she placed 2nd in the 200 m freestyle with the time of 1:54.97, becoming the second woman ever to break the 1 min 55 sec mark. It is still, to this day, the only swimming Olympic medal won for Slovenia. Isaković competed for Slovenia at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

James A. Pedro is an American retired World Champion and Olympic judoka, as well as a current judo coach. Pedro currently holds a 7th degree black belt in judo. He is the coach of Kayla Harrison, the first and currently only American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Morris</span> American judoka

Jason Newth Morris is an American retired judoka. He was a four-time Olympian and 2008 Olympic Coach, best known for winning the silver medal in the ‍–‍78 kg weight category in the 1992 Summer Olympics and a Bronze Medal in the 1993 World Judo Championships. He is a Hachidan his favorite techniques are Uchi Mata, Tai Otoshi, and his "Sticker or Sticky Foot". He was also an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and 2x EIWA conference champion at Syracuse University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková</span> Czech tennis player

Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková is a Czech former professional tennis player.

Sport plays an important role in Estonian culture. Estonia first competed as a nation at the 1920 Summer Olympics, although the National Olympic Committee was established in 1923. Estonian athletes took part at every Olympic Games until the country was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. The 1980 Summer Olympics sailing regatta was held in the capital city Tallinn. Estonia has won most of its Olympic medals in wrestling, athletics, weightlifting, and cross-country skiing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rena Kanokogi</span> Martial artist

Rena Kanokogi was a renowned American judo expert. In 1959, she won a medal at a YMCA judo tournament while disguised as a man, but had to return it after acknowledging that she was a woman. Traveling to Japan to continue her judo training, Kanokogi became the first woman allowed to train in the men's group at the Kodokan. She is perhaps best known for pioneering women's judo competition at the Olympic Games. Kanokogi is often referred to as "The Mother of Women's Judo".

Keiko Teshima is a Japanese retired judoka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayra Aguiar</span> Brazilian judoka (born 1991)

Mayra Aguiar da Silva is a Brazilian judoka. She was a bronze medallist in three consecutive Olympics, 2012, 2016 and 2020. She is also three-time world champion. She is the first Brazilian woman to win three Olympic medals in an individual sport, being the best female judoka in the history of Brazil.

Martilou "Marti" Malloy is a female judoka from the United States.

Joetta Clark Diggs is a retired American track and field champion, specializing in middle distance running. She ran for more than 28 consecutive years never missing an indoor or outdoor season, with her races being in the 800 meters and 1500 meters. A 4-time Olympian in 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000, she competed in every outdoor USA Championships or Olympic trials between 1979 and 2000, winning five outdoor championships. Indoors, she was in the national championship race in 18 of the last 19 years, winning seven times. Clark Diggs was ranked in the top 10 in the world since 1991. Moreover, in 1998 at age 36, she was ranked number four in the world. This was her best ranking out of six such appearances.

Tina Takahashi is a Canadian judoka, coach and author. She won Canada's first gold medal at the World University Games in Judo in 1984 and coached Canada's first women's Judo Olympian Sandra Greaves in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Takahashi was the first Canadian woman to achieve the rank of roku-dan, and the first women's Sport Canada carded athlete.

Liliko Ogasawara is a former international competitor in judo who competed for the United States in Judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Ogasawara was born on May 21, 1972, in Englewood, New Jersey.

Raffaella Imbriani is a German judoka who competed in the women's half-lightweight category. She held five German senior titles in her own division, picked up a total of thirty-five medals in her career, including four from major international tournaments, and represented Germany in the 52-kg class at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Imbriani also trained for Judo Club Ettlingen and then Judo League in Brandenburg under her personal coach and sensei Wolfgang Zuckschwerdt.

Danielle Zangrando is a retired Brazilian judoka who competed in the women's lightweight category. She picked up a total of thirty medals in her career, including three from the Pan American Games, and a bronze from the 1995 World Judo Championships in Chiba, Japan, and also appeared in the 57-kg class in two editions of the Olympic Games. Growing up in Santos, Zangrando took up judo at the age of 5 following her brother to the dojo of sensei Paulo Duarte. Throughout most of her sporting career, Zangrando trained under Duarte as a full-fledged member of the judo squad for Santos FC Judô.

Andrea Pažoutová-Pokorná is a Czech judoka, who competed in the women's middleweight category. She held nine Czech senior titles in her own division, picked up a total of twenty-four medals in her career, including a bronze from the 2004 European Judo Championships in Bucharest, Romania, and represented the Czech Republic in two editions of the Olympic Games. Pazoutova also trained for TJ Sokol Hradec Králové in her native Hradec Králové under her personal coach, father, and sensei Ivo Pažout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shira Rishony</span> Israeli judoka (born 1991)

Shira Rishony is an Israeli Olympic lightweight judoka. She competes at U48 kg. She competed for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics she won a bronze medal in the mixed team event, and placed 5th in the women's 48 kg event. She won a bronze medal at the 2022 European Championship. Rishony is representing Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in judo; in the women's 48 kg she came in 17th, and she is slated to compete next in the mixed team event on 3 August, 2024.

References

  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Celita Schutz". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  2. Berkow, Ira (July 23, 2004). "Olympics; A Judo Champion Bounces Back From Heartbreak". The New York Times . p. D1. Retrieved November 24, 2017. And so at the beginning of this year, after the emotional and even physical upheaval of the last few years, the 5-foot-5 Schutz (pronounced Shoots), 36, sat back on her couch in a tan T-shirt, blue jeans and silver earrings and recalled how she had decided to try a comeback to the sport that she has loved since she first took it up at age 6, in River Vale, N.J., after watching her older brother Del take judo lessons.
  3. "Kokushi kai Instructors". www.kokushikai.com. Retrieved 2020-10-10.