Shori Hamada

Hamada was born in Kagoshima prefecture and started Judo at the age of ten. When she was in Kagoshima Minami High School, she was taught newaza (ground grappling techniques) rigorously by her school judo coach, which made her win the second place in the -78 kg category of the All Japan High School Championships. Also during this period, she repeatedly studied videos of Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki and absorbed his newaza techniques.^[5] After the high school she played at Yamanashi Gakuin University, where she started Sambo, a Russian combat sport, alongside Judo to expand her range of newaza skills, and won the gold medal at 2014 World Sambo Championships.^[6] After the university she joined the Japan Self-Defense Forces where she brushed up her transition skills between tachiwaza (standing/throwing techniques) and newaza. With her highly skilled newaza, she won the gold medal at the 2018 World Judo Championships,^[7] and the silver medal in the 2019 World Judo Championships. She won the gold medal in 2020 Judo Grand Slam Düsseldorf and was officially nominated by the All Japan Judo Federation for the -78 kg category representative of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

In the Olympic Games held at Tokyo in 2021, she won the gold medal in the -78 kg category, defeating Beata Pacut (Poland), Aleksandra Babintseva (Russia), Anna-Maria Wagner (Germany), and Madeleine Malonga (France), all with Ippon by newaza. Also she got the silver medal as a registered member of the mixed team category though she had no opportunity to fight in the category.^[8]

As of July 2021, her rank in the Ground Self-Defense Force of Japan is captain.^[9][10] She is often referred to as the "Newaza no Jouou (Queen of Newaza)" or "Newaza-shi (Newaza Master)" in Japanese media.^[11][12][13]