Swiss judo pioneer and Olympian dies at age 86
Eric Hänni, silver medallist in judo at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, died on December 25, aged 86, announced the Swiss Judo and Ju-jitsu Federation.
Eric Hänni was one of the key figures in Swiss judo. His silver medal in Tokyo was Switzerland’s first in the sport’s Olympic history. That same year, he also won bronze at the European Championships, cementing his reputation as a world-class judoka.
Hänni was particularly well known for his technical speciality, uchi-mata. For his merits, he was awarded the ninth dan, one of the highest honours in judo. “He was a source of inspiration and a role model for many,” writes the federation on its website.
Translated from French by DeepL/jdp
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