Photo/Illutration Aaron Wolf, left, trips up South Korea’s Cho Gu-ham to win by ippon and claim the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics on July 29 at the Nippon Budokan. (Ryo Kato)

Fittingly, judoka Aaron Wolf looked heavenward as he gazed up at the ceiling of the Nippon Budokan, a sacred venue for the martial arts in Japan.

Tears poured out of Wolf's eyes as the realization hit him that he had secured the gold medal in the men's 100-kg weight division in judo at the Tokyo Olympics on July 29. 

“I earned my place in history,” an emotional Wolf said.

The victory made Wolf, 25, the first Japanese to win the weight division since Kosei Inoue, head coach of the Japanese men’s judo team, struck gold at the 2000 Sidney Olympics.

The new Japanese gold medalist credited his victory to his style and approach, which is "simple and honest."

“It’s great that my (approach) paid off,” he said.

Wolf was born in Tokyo’s Koiwa district to a Japanese mother and an American father.

At age 6, he joined the Kasuga Judo Club at the prestigious Kodokan Judo Institute.

There he met Mashu Baker, a year older and his "senpai" (senior), who would become his rival and role model.

Both later attended Tokai University Urayasu Senior High School. Baker lived in a dormitory, while Wolf commuted from his home.

Whenever Baker would say, “Let’s have a morning training session,” Wolf would agree and would leave home at 5 a.m.

When Baker started working on strength exercises and hitting the gym, Wolf joined the same gym.

Wolf “always looked up to Baker,” said Toru Takeuchi, one of Wolf’s mentors.

Baker won a gold medal in the 90-kg weight division at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Wolf became a world champion for the first time in 2017, winning gold at the world championships in Budapest.

But he was not content at all.

“I have yet to catch up with Baker senpai,” Wolf told someone close to him.

“I can only make up ground on Baker senpai by claiming victory at the Olympics,” he added.

That motivated Wolf to continue training despite injuries and other setbacks.

The final match of the 100-kg division at the Tokyo Olympics lasted more than nine minutes between Wolf and South Korea’s Cho Gu-ham.

In the grueling Golden Score sudden-death overtime, Wolf pounced on an unguarded moment by the exhausted Cho and made an ouchi-gari (displacing leg) throw.

Wolf’s sudden and powerful move put Cho flat on his back to end the match.

With the Olympic gold medal, Wolf has captured the triple crown--the Olympic Games, a world championship and a Japanese national championship.

There are only seven other judoka who have accomplished the feat, including Inoue and Yasuhiro Yamashita, but not Baker.

Wolf finally caught Baker and surpassed him. But it would not have been possible without the presence of his rival.

The ouchi-gari that earned Wolf the gold medal was a throw that, “I learned from watching Baker senpai,” he said.

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