Member News

August 8, 2008    

Sayaka Matsumoto

Ten Questions with 48kg Player Sayaka Matsumoto

(Beijing, China) – Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / Richmond, Calif.) narrowly missed the past two Olympic Games when she was an alternate to the 2000 Olympic Team and fell one slot short of qualifying the division for the United States in 2004.  Twenty-five-year-old Matsumoto will finally get her chance to fight on the largest stage in the world on Saturday when she opens the Games with her first-round 48kg match against seven-time World Champion Ryoko Tani (JPN). 

Matsumoto took a few minutes earlier this week to chat with USA Judo on her goals for the Games, shuffleboard in the Village and her goal to eat a cricket before she leaves Beijing…

Q1: You’ve talked before about the long road to get to the Olympics over the past eight years.  Is it everything you expected it to be?

Matsumoto: Yeah.  I didn’t really know what to expect.  I think I based what I thought it would be like on the Pan Am Games in 2003 and seeing Sydney in 2000, but it’s been awesome.  Other than having to watch my weight, the village is awesome and everything’s been great.

Q2: Usually you compete on the last day.  What’s it like to fight on the first day?

Matsumoto: I am glad I’m fighting on the first day.  I just want to do it and get it done with and have the chance to watch my teammates after I get my job done. With my own competition mindset, it’s much better.  That’s the way I am with everything.  I personally just like to get stuff done and over with quickly rather than waiting around.

Q3: What’s a typical day like at the Olympics?

Matsumoto: We’ve only been here a few days, but Ronda [Rousey] and I get up early, six or 6:30 since we still go to sleep early.  Then me, Val [Gotay] and Ronda do breakfast.  We get ready for practice, then go to practice and lunch and then in the afternoon we have some free time, so like yesterday Ronda and I did a shuffle board challenge.  We split it one and one, so I’m gonna have to break the tie tomorrow!  (Laughs)

Q4: Usually there’s seven or eight girls on a Team and this time there just the three of you.  How has that been?

Matsumoto: We’re a really intimate group.  We all get along and there’s no drama.  Usually with bigger groups of girls there’s a lot of drama, but with just the three of us it’s really refreshing.

Q5: What was the one thing you wanted to make sure was in your bag when you packed?

Matsumoto: Well, you’ve got the necessities.  Gis and stuff like that.  I guess I made sure to bring my camera.  I’m not usually one of those people always flashing cameras around, but this time I was adamant about bringing it with me so I didn’t miss anything.

Q6: What are your goals for the Games?

Matsumoto: My goal is to try and enjoy the experience and leave everything on the mat.  If you do the best you can do and try your hardest, that’s the only thing you have control of.  If I do the best I can do, I think I can do well.  What I want is mistake free judo and I’ll be happy.

Q7: Who are you watching out for in the draw?

Matsumoto: Of course [Ryoko] Tani, [Frederique] Jossinet, [Alina]Dumitru.  At this point, everybody’s tough.  I’d actually like to fight Tani first.  In all these years we’ve never fought, so why not now?  Growing up, she was, and still is, dominant and she paved the way for a lot of young girls and I’d be honored to fight her.

Q8: Who has had the greatest impact on your judo career?

Matsumoto: That’s a tough one.   I’d have to say my dad.  He’s been there as a father and as a coach, supporting me on the mat and as a dad and financially, but there’s been so many people, not just one.

Q9: Was it difficult being coached by your father and trying to separate home and judo?

Matsumoto: No.  I haven’t lived at home since I was 18, but even before then, we didn’t constantly talk about judo.  We’d talk about school or whatever, but it was nice that there was somebody at home I could talk to about judo.  I think we found a good balance between father and coach.  It’s a balance he has to work with too because there’s a lot of emotion and passion there, but like when Ann [Shiraishi, her teammate who also is coached by father David Matsumoto] and I fought in the finals at Trials he just said ‘Whatever happens happens and you shouldn’t let it ruin your friendship.’

Q10: What events do you want to see after judo is done?

Matsumoto: Ronda and I have a list of sports, including, but not limited to (laughs): swimming, gymnastics, track and field and basketball.  We want to see Kobe Bryant.  And diving.  We’re rooming with [divers] Laura Wilkinson and Nancilea

Foster and they were showing us DVDs.  We also want to see the Great Wall, go shopping, have authentic Chinese food, a lot of things.

Q10a: Is it true that you, Ronda and Val want to eat crickets while you’re here?

I heard from somebody that they eat crickets here and I really want to try it.  I’m down to try anything.  I’ve eaten kangaroo and bugs… Ronda says she’s eaten a cricket and they’re not bad, so we want to give it a shot.