Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held a Judo training session at the Advanced Sports School in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held a Judo training session at the Advanced Sports School in St. Petersburg on Friday. The school’s principal, Mr. Kukoverov, said that Vladimir Putin demonstrated “his trademark throws, hip rolls, overhead throws and shoulder catches.”
Vladimir Putin visits this school occasionally to face well-known wrestlers.
The prime minister entered the room wearing a signature kimono tied with a black belt. The training session, attended by Russian National Team members and junior wrestlers, was already under way. After saying the traditional Japanese greeting, Vladimir Putin addressed everybody with a short speech: “Today, we will have a warm-up, and then discuss over tea the issues of our national team.”
The coach told everybody, including Vladimir Putin: “Let’s work.” A young wrestler came over to Vladimir Putin. After the warm-up, the prime minister performed a combination of fine throws – shoulder catches, hip rolls and back rolls – and diverse undercuts.
The coach told everybody, including Vladimir Putin: “Let’s work.” A young wrestler came over to Vladimir Putin. After the warm-up, the prime minister performed a combination of fine throws – shoulder catches, hip rolls and back rolls – and diverse undercuts.
During the training session which lasted about half an hour, the coach ordered the wrestlers to swap partners several times.
Among other opponents, the Prime Minister had to face a heavyweight class wrestler, and he did it well.
Asked by journalists whether the wrestlers were giving anything away to the Prime Minister, the principal said confidently: “In this kind of sport, there’s no place for loser’s chess. Mr. Putin is an honest athlete and a true Master of Sports.”
“The Prime Minister is a two-time champion of Leningrad city tournaments and a prize-winner at other competitions, and he keeps himself in good shape now,” the school’s principal said. He also noted that Vladimir Putin holds a Soviet-era Master of Sports degree in Judo, which is even more impressive than a similar degree in present-day Russia. “When he was training seriously, the Prime Minister had a body weight of 62 kilograms,” – Kukoverov added.
Putin was photographed with the other judoka after the training session.
...and signed the kimonos of some of them.
The Prime Minister signed his book “Judo with Vladimir Putin” for the youngest of the Judo wrestlers, 8 year-old Svetlana.
Afterwards, the sparring partners sat down to tea.
