Editing Anton Geesink

{{short description|Dutch judoka (1934–2010)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox judoka
| image        = Anton Geesink 04.12.1961.jpg
| image_size   = <!-- only when absolutely necessary -->
| alt          = Anton Geesink in 1961
| caption      = Geesink in 1961
| full_name    = Antonius Johannes Geesink
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1934|04|06|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], [[Netherlands]]<ref name=sr>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ge/anton-geesink-1.html |title=Anton Geesink |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203053716/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ge/anton-geesink-1.html |archive-date=3 December 2016}}</ref>
| death_date   = {{death date and age|2010|08|27|1934|04|06|df=y}}<ref name=r1>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/sep/06/anton-geesink-obituary|title=Anton Geesink obituary|date=6 September 2010 |work=[[The Guardian]] |author=Peter Nichols |access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref>
| death_place  = Utrecht, the Netherlands<ref name=sr/>
| height       = 1.98 m<ref name=obit/>
| weight       = 120 kg
<!-- Sport -->
| country      = [[Netherlands]]
| weight_class = Open
| rank         = <!-- Belt color ONLY. Automated when "dan" is used. -->
| rank_ref     = <ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-06-26|title=JudoInside - Anton Geesink Judoka|url=https://www.judoinside.com/judoka/4094/Anton_Geesink/judo-career}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
| dan          = 10
| club         = 
<!-- Medal record -->
| show-medals    = 
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport| Men's [[judo]] }}
{{Medal|Country| the {{NED}} }}
{{MedalCount
|[[Judo at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]|1|0|0
|[[World Judo Championships|World Championships]]|2|0|1
|[[European Judo Championships|European Championships]]|21|2|2
|'''Total'''|'''24'''|'''2'''|'''3'''
}}
{{Medal|Competition| [[Judo at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[Judo at the 1964 Summer Olympics|1964&nbsp;Tokyo]] | [[Judo at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|Competition| [[World Judo Championships|World Championships]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1961 World Judo Championships|1961&nbsp;Paris]] | [[1961 World Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1965 World Judo Championships|1965&nbsp;Rio&nbsp;de&nbsp;Janeiro]] | [[1965 World Judo Championships – Men's +80 kg|+80&nbsp;kg]] }}
{{Medal|B| [[1956 World Judo Championships|1956&nbsp;Tokyo]] | [[1956 World Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|Competition| [[European Judo Championships|European Championships]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1952 European Judo Championships|1952&nbsp;Paris]] | [[1952 European Judo Championships – Men's 1st dan|1st&nbsp;dan]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1953 European Judo Championships|1953&nbsp;London]] | [[1953 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1954 European Judo Championships|1954&nbsp;Brussels]] | [[1954 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1955 European Judo Championships|1955&nbsp;Paris]] | [[1955 European Judo Championships – Men's 3rd dan|3rd&nbsp;dan]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1957 European Judo Championships|1957&nbsp;Rotterdam]] | [[1957 European Judo Championships – Men's 4th dan|4th&nbsp;dan]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1957 European Judo Championships|1957&nbsp;Rotterdam]] | [[1957 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1958 European Judo Championships|1958&nbsp;Barcelona]] | [[1958 European Judo Championships – Men's 4th dan|4th&nbsp;dan]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1958 European Judo Championships|1958&nbsp;Barcelona]] | [[1958 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1959 European Judo Championships|1959&nbsp;Vienna]] | [[1959 European Judo Championships – Men's +80 kg|+80&nbsp;kg]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1959 European Judo Championships|1959&nbsp;Vienna]] | [[1959 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1960 European Judo Championships|1960&nbsp;Amsterdam]] | [[1960 European Judo Championships – Men's +80 kg|+80&nbsp;kg]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1960 European Judo Championships|1960&nbsp;Amsterdam]] | [[1960 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1961 European Judo Championships|1961&nbsp;Milano]] | [[1961 European Judo Championships – Men's +80 kg|+80&nbsp;kg]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1961 European Judo Championships|1961&nbsp;Milano]] | [[1961 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1962 European Judo Championships|1962&nbsp;Essen]] | [[1962 European Judo Championships – Men's +80 kg|+80&nbsp;kg]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1962 European Judo Championships|1962&nbsp;Essen]] | [[1962 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1963 European Judo Championships|1963&nbsp;Genève]] | [[1963 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1963 European Judo Championships|1963&nbsp;Genève]] | [[1963 European Judo Championships – Men's +80 kg|+80&nbsp;kg]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1964 European Judo Championships|1964&nbsp;Berlin]] | [[1964 European Judo Championships – Men's +80 kg|+80&nbsp;kg]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1964 European Judo Championships|1964&nbsp;Berlin]] | [[1964 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|G| [[1967 European Judo Championships|1967&nbsp;Rome]] | [[1967 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|S| [[1951 European Judo Championships|1951&nbsp;Paris]] | [[1951 European Judo Championships – Men's 1st kyu|1st&nbsp;kyu]] }}
{{Medal|S| [[1955 European Judo Championships|1955&nbsp;Paris]] | [[1955 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|B| [[1965 European Judo Championships|1965&nbsp;Madrid]] | [[1965 European Judo Championships – Men's Open|Open]] }}
{{Medal|B| [[1965 European Judo Championships|1965&nbsp;Madrid]] | [[1965 European Judo Championships – Men's +93 kg|+93&nbsp;kg]] }}
| updated = 25 June 2023
}}

'''Antonius Johannes Geesink''' (6 April 1934 – 27 August 2010)<ref name=sr/><ref name=r1/> was a [[Dutch people|Dutch]] [[List of judoka#Highest grades|10th dan]] [[judoka]]. He was the first non-Japanese judoka to win gold at the [[World Judo Championships]], a feat he accomplished in [[1961 World Judo Championships|1961]] and [[1965 World Judo Championships|1965]]. He was also an Olympic Champion, having won gold at the [[Judo at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's Open|1964 Summer Olympics]] in Japan, and won a record 21 [[European Judo Championships]] during his career.<ref name=obit/>

==Judo career==
[[File:Anton Geesink (1956).jpg|thumb|upright|left|Geesink in 1956]]
Geesink took up judo at age 14 and, by 17, started competing internationally, winning a silver medal in 1951.<ref name=obit/> He won his first European title the following year. Through to 1967, twenty more European titles followed.

At the 1956 World Championships, Geesink was eliminated in the semi-finals against [[Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Black Belt Vol. 2, No. 2|publisher=Active Interest Media, Inc.|date=March 1964|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_QdkDAAAAMBAJ|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_QdkDAAAAMBAJ/page/n26 27]}}</ref> At the 1961 World Championships, Geesink, then 5th dan,<ref>{{cite book|title=Black Belt Vol. 1, No. 3|publisher=Active Interest Media, Inc.|date=April 1962|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iNkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA7|pages=7, 64}}</ref> became World Champion in the open class, defeating the Japanese champion [[Koji Sone]]. Japanese judokas had won all the World Championship titles contested up to that point.

Judo debuted as an official sport at the [[1964 Summer Olympics]], held in the sport's home country, Japan. Although Japan dominated three of the four weight divisions (light, middle, and heavy), Anton Geesink won the final of the open weight division, defeating [[Akio Kaminaga]] in front of his home crowd.<ref>{{cite book|title=Mastering Judo|publisher=Human Kinetics|author=Takahashi, Masao |year=2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qZrXwJCXOuEC&pg=PA7|page=7|isbn=073605099X}}</ref><ref name=sr/>

After winning the 1965 World Championships and a last European title in 1967, Geesink quit competitive judo.

Anton Geesink was one of the few 10th [[Dan (rank)|Dan]] grade judoka ([[Dan (rank)#Ranks in Japanese|jūdan]]) recognized by the [[International Judo Federation|IJF]] but not by [[Kodokan]] at that rank. Promotions from 6th to 10th Dan are awarded for services to the sport of judo. In 2010 there are [[List of judoka#Male – Kodokan 10th dan|three living 10th dan grade judoka (jūdan)]] recognized by Kodokan: [[Toshiro Daigo]], [[Ichiro Abe]] and [[Yoshimi Osawa]]. The Kodokan has not awarded the 10th Dan to anybody outside Japan.

==Professional wrestling career==
In October 1973, ''[[All Japan Pro Wrestling]]'' owner [[Giant Baba]] recruited Anton Geesink to join AJPW. Baba sent him to [[Amarillo, TX]], and [[Dory Funk Jr.]] and [[Terry Funk]] trained him for a month. As a popular part-timer, he worked for ''All Japan'' from 1973 to 1978.

Geesink's notable professional wrestling opponents included [[Bruno Sammartino]], [[Gorilla Monsoon]], [[Dick Murdoch]], [[Dory Funk Jr.]], [[Bobby Duncum Sr.|Bobby Duncum]], Bob Remus ([[Sgt. Slaughter]]), [[Don Leo Jonathan]], and [[Jumbo Tsuruta]].

==Films and publications==
[[File:Film Rififi in Amsterdam (regie Giovanni Korporaal) Anton Geesink (als rech…, Bestanddeelnr 913-7461.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Geesink (right) in [[Rififi in Amsterdam (1962 film)|''Rififi in Amsterdam'']]]]
Geesink made his acting debut in 1962, playing a detective in the Dutch film [[Rififi in Amsterdam (1962 film)|''Rififi in Amsterdam'']]. In 1965, he starred as [[Samson]] in the Italian historical film ''[[Gideon and Samson: Great Leaders of the Bible]]'', and in the 1960s-1980s, he took part in three Dutch TV series, including the children's show [[:nl:Oebele|Oebele]], where he also sang the song "Judo rock". In the 1960s he published several books on judo in Dutch and English.<ref>[https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Anton+Geesink%22&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjsocDXvrvaAhXJpJQKHbe1B6UQ9AgIKzAA&biw=1920&bih=938&dpr=1 Anton Geesink]. Google Books.</ref>

==International Olympic Committee work==
In 1986 during the Maastricht IJF DC meeting Geesink proposed that one player should wear a blue Judogi.<ref>{{Cite web |last=KuSakuraShop |date=2020-04-06 |title=The story of the iconic Judogi |url=https://www.kusakurashop.com/blogs/the-kusakura-blog/02-the-story-of-the-iconic-judogi |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=translation missing: en.blog.slogan_html |language=en}}</ref>

In 1987, Geesink became a member of the board of the Dutch National Olympic Committee, and a member of the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC).

Geesink was among the IOC members suspected of accepting bribes during the scandal surrounding the election of [[Salt Lake City]] as the host of the [[2002 Winter Olympics]]. Geesink's name was cleared by the IOC which nevertheless issued him a warning for the appearance of a conflict of interest which could have damaged the reputation of the IOC. Geesink continued working for IOC until his death in 2010.<ref name=sr/>

==Personal life and death==
[[File:Anton Geesink with family 1964.jpg|thumb|left|Geesink with wife and children in 1964]]
Geesink was born and raised in Utrecht. His family was poor and he started work as a builder aged 12. He died in 2010 aged 76 in the town of his birth. He was survived by Jans Geesink, his wife of more than 50 years; his sons Willy and Anton Jr.; and daughter, Leni.<ref name=obit>Nichols, Peter (6 September 2010) [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/sep/06/anton-geesink-obituary Anton Geesink obituary]. ''The Guardian''</ref>

==Honours==
[[File:Geesink-Utrecht-2022.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Statue of Anton Geesink in Utrecht (by Theo van de Vathorst, 1995)]]
Geesink was chosen as the Dutch Sportsman of the Year in 1957, 1961, 1964 and 1965.<ref name=sr/> He was awarded the [[Order of the Sacred Treasure]] by the Japanese government in 1997.<ref>[http://www.editions-harmattan.fr/index.asp?navig=catalogue&obj=article&no=8245 L'Harmattan web site (in French)], Order with gold rays</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/sports/global/01geesink.html|title=Anton Geesink, Medalist Who Helped Popularize Judo, Dies at 76|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=2010-12-13|first=Richard|last=Goldstein|date=August 31, 2010}}</ref>

His home town of Utrecht has a street named after him — which is the street he lived on for some time up until his death in August 2010.<ref name=sr/> On 29 January 2000, he was awarded an [[honorary doctorate]] by [[Kokushikan University]], a Japanese university known for its sport education and of which four alumni are Olympic gold medalists in judo, with the following praise:<ref>{{Citation|ref=none |author=Public Relation Section of Kokushikan University |title=アントニウス・J・ヘーシンク氏に名誉博士の学位を贈呈 (The Awarding of an Honorary Doctorate to Mr. Antonius J. Geesink) |periodical=国士舘大学新聞 (Kokushikan University Newspaper) |volume=421 |url=http://www.kokushikan.ac.jp/tagblocks/PR/news/NewsPaper2000/0000000633/a0000000633_p2_s1_f_attach_1.pdf |date=2000-02-27 |access-date=2012-03-28 |language=ja }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

<blockquote lang="ja">
ヘーシンク氏は、一九六四年東京オリンピックにおいて、柔道無差別級で外国人選手として初めて金メダルを獲得し、その後、武道精神をもって国際平和に貢献するとともにオランダ・日本両国民の文化交流・友好関係の促進に努め、また柔道を教育学や生体学的角度から研究し、その普及発展のために尽力された。
武道の精神を重視する本大学は、柔道の国際的普及における同氏の功績を讃え、国士舘大学名誉博士の学位を贈呈した。
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Mr. Geesink won the gold medal in the open class as the first non-Japanese. Since then, with the spirit of [[budō]], he has contributed to the international peace and promoted the cultural exchange and friendship between the people of the Netherlands and of Japan. Furthermore, he explored judo in light of education and somatology and has been devoted to its diffusion and development. To honor his contribution to the worldwide diffusion of judo, this university, as a body which prizes the spirit of budō, awarded him an honorary doctorate of Kokushikan University.
</blockquote>
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Sports links}}
<!-- * {{Sports reference}} already in References & current website Olympedia displayed via {{Sports links}} -->
* {{The-Sports}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0311669}}
* Online access to the [http://www.hetutrechtsarchief.nl/collectie/archiefbank/archieftoegangen/zoekresultaat?mivast=39&miadt=39&mizig=0&miview=lst&milang=nl&micols=1&mires=0&mif3=4&mizk_alle=&mizk_of=&mizk_exact=&mip1=1391&mibj=&miej= inventory of the archives of Geesink] (The Utrecht Archives)

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{{succession box|title=[[Dutch Sportsman of the year|Dutch Sportsman of the Year]]|before=Klaas Boot|after=[[Gerrit Schulte]]|years=1957}}
{{succession box|title=[[Dutch Sportsman of the year|Dutch Sportsman of the Year]]|before=[[Peter Post]]|after=[[Ard Schenk]] / [[Kees Verkerk]]|years=1964–1965}}
{{s-sports|oly}}
{{succession box
| before = Jan Willem van Erven Dorens
| title = [[List of flag bearers for the Netherlands at the Olympics|Flagbearer]] for {{NED}}
| years = [[1964 Summer Olympics|Tokyo 1964]]
| after = [[Fred van Dorp]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Judo Open category Men}}
{{WC Judo Men's Openweight}}
{{WC Judo Men's Heavyweight}}
{{EC Judo M Open}}
{{EC Judo M+100}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geesink, Anton}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:Dutch male judoka]]
[[Category:Dutch International Olympic Committee members]]
[[Category:Judoka at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Olympic judoka for the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in judo]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure]]
[[Category:Martial artists from Utrecht (city)]]
[[Category:World judo champions]]
[[Category:Dutch male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan]]
[[Category:20th-century Dutch sportsmen]]