The Brazilian Judoka Vinícius Erchov Is Awarded a Certificate at Kodokan
At the judo birthplace, the 4th Dan became the only American judo athlete to receive this recognition
Vinícius Erchov became the first Brazilian athlete to receive the recognition of efficiency considering the Nage -no- kata technique, after presenting it in front of more than 250 judo practitioners from around the world. This happened after the 4th Dan athlete took a Kata course in Kodokan Institute in Tokyo, the judo birthplace. Only two other judokas in the world -a South Korean male judoka and an Englishwoman- won this certificate.
”I will continue teaching judo, learning from the senior teachers and showing to my students little by little what I have learned from the teachers of Kodokan. We can never stop learning and we must be always prepared to take the forthcoming opportunities, “said Sensei Vinicius.
During his presentation at Kodokan, Vinicius could not count on his eighteen year-old uke, Roberto Albanese, for professional reasons. Luiz Alberto Santos, who, together with Sensei Rioti Uchida won the World Kata Championship three times, could take the uke and tori position for Sensei Vinicius .
“Professor Luís was extremely important in this achievement because I have trained with him throughout the preparation. On the last day of the course, when the presentation was delivered, I chose to perform Nague no Kata, because it is the \' flagship \' of the judo katas. At Kodokan, we are individually evaluated as tori and uke. And Professor Luís, despite his injuries, volunteered to help me do whatever kata I chose. And so we did, \" said Erchov.\" After all the presentations, I was speaking with other six Brazilians when a teacher from Kodokan asked who was “Eruchobu\" (the way the Japanese pronounce the surname Erchov), and said that I would be invited to appear in front of 300 participants and receive from Sensei Matsushita’s own hands the recognition of efficiency; this certificate has been given to two more people, a Korean and a Japanese- English, and therefore I would be the most prominent Brazilian representative\" he added.
Vinicius’s thrill, who is triple world kata champion together with Roberto Albanese – receiving the certificate from the hands of some of the most important Brazilian and international judo name -, was, according to him, stronger than any other sports experience.
\"I have to confess that the emotion I felt was a unique feeling. Neither reaching the podium abroad as a world champion nor hearing the national anthem can compare to what I felt. Having the chance to represent Brazil at Kodokan , taking the course together with Professors Luis Alberto and Uchida, and I was the outstanding judoka was something unique. Listening again the congratulations expressed by Sensei Matsushita, Abe and Daigo (I have been hearing from them since my childhood) is something I\'ll never forget. I cried heartily. I remembered where I was and what judo represented for us, \"he added.
