Olympic medalist and former world champion Sagi Muki announced his retirement from competitive judo on Monday at age 33, bringing an extraordinary career to a close.
“This was not a career of a moment; it was a mission,” Muki said at an emotional press conference. “Today I’m not finishing – I’m building the next thing and the journey continues.”
Struggling to summarize more than two decades on the mat, he reflected: “Judo for me was never just a sport… For years, I woke up with a goal in the morning – to be the best in the world, to know that on that day no one beat me. To achieve that you need hunger from within… Judo was my life.”
Muki made clear that the decision came from peace of mind, not injury or a slip in ability.
“I’m not retiring because I can’t,” he said. “I know exactly what it takes to be a world champion. If I can’t give it everything, I don’t want to be on the mat… In recent years my life has changed. I’m a father and there are things I’m no longer willing to miss. My dreams haven’t ended, they’ve simply taken a new direction.”
He looked back to an 11-year-old boy who returned from a tournament in Holland without a medal. “I sat on the side and cried… On the way back I knew one thing – I want another chance. That’s when I understood this was my dream.”
'I love Sagi like my own son'
Under longtime coach Oren Smadja, Muki rose to the top of the sport. He won world gold in Tokyo in 2019, two European titles, and an Olympic team bronze medal in Tokyo.
Smadja recalled: “Already in the first training session, he impressed me… It’s a privilege to coach a personality and human being like this. I love Sagi like my own son.”
Muki concluded: “After years on the mat, I am ending my competitive career in judo. This is a complete decision, not of a moment and not out of pain.”